Every End Has A Start
by Asu91
Summary: AU After finding out that Katherine isn't in the tomb Damon announces his intention to leave and find her... But in the end everything turns out different than expected... Read the latest AN please!
1. Goodbye For Now

I got the idea for this one shot as soon as I finished watching the recent episode "Fool Me Once". It moved me so much and I felt so strongly for Damon that I just had to write this. I hope you like it!

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_today something really awful happened._

_More awful than my boyfriend being a vampire._

_More awful than all the killings._

_Much more awful than that._

_As we promised Damon, we opened the tomb in which the dead vampires are buried. It was a terrifying experience. All those dead bodies around me…_

_But that wasn't even the worst. The worst thing is that it was all for nothing. Katherine's body wasn't there and nobody knows why._

_Damon was so… different when he found out. I lack the words to describe what he looked like and the presence surrounding him. All I know is that seeing him like this made me…

* * *

_

"Knock, knock."

Startled by the sudden voice Elena stopped writing and looked up from her diary to find Damon standing by the window.

"Whoa, Damon, you gave me a scare!"

"Still?" he said incredulously. "I thought you'd gotten over that."

"I have," Elena emphasized. "But... Nah, forget it. What gives me the pleasure for you invading my home in the middle of the night?"

She tried to sound all carefree, to adapt the way he usually talked to her. She hoped she could cheer him up that way and make him forget all his misery for just five minutes.

"Oh, I just thought I'd stop by and say hello. Stefan's kinda quiet."

Elena smiled, glad he played along in her game of suppressing, and put her diary aside.

"You're writing about me in there?" he asked cockily and tried to get a glance at the entry she just wrote but she quickly shut it.

"No," she said smugly. "You wish."

"Oh, come on. I must have left some impression on you," he insisted.

"Mmh… maybe."

She grinned. He grinned too and pointed at the space next to her on the bed.

"May I?"

"Um sure. Have a seat," she offered, feeling a little bit uncomfortable with him being suddenly so close but this feeling vanished when she caught the distressed look on his face. She wanted to say something but he beat her to it.

"I… didn't have a chance to say thank you earlier," he started.

"Damon…"

"So thank you," he cut her off. Obviously it took him a lot of strength to do this and he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "Thank you for that I could trust you in this thing and for allowing me to trust me brother in it."

He paused for a second like trying to find the right words. "Remember how I said you're not the worst company in the world? It's true you're not and Stefan can be happy to have you."

"Oh, Damon!"

Elena leapt forward, obviously to hug him but he backed away.

"One hug a day is enough, I guess," he said, trying to keep composure. "Just remember one thing," he continued, looking earnest. "No matter how much you'll hear it… but aside from the looks, you're _nothing_ like Katherine." He stressed the last part so coldly that it made Elena shiver. "And I'm glad you are." He left it there.

"What are you gonna do now, Damon?" Elena asked carefully.

"I'm leaving," Damon told her. "Katherine wasn't in that tomb but she's gotta be somewhere, right?"

"But she could be buried anywhere!"

Out of the corner of her eye Elena witnessed Damon flinch at the word "buried".

"She's not dead," he said slowly.

"But she got caught by–"

"She didn't!" he corrected her fiercely and startled Elena. "She didn't" he repeated more calmly. "I asked Anna and she told me… she told me everything. She's seen Katherine in Chicago some time ago. I'm gonna find her."

Silence fell upon them. Damon seemed to be lost in thoughts while staring at the floor. Elena, feeling extremely uncomfortable, stared at her fingernails.

"When… are you gonna leave?"

"Tomorrow by noon," he told her without looking up.

"So this is goodbye."

"So this is goodbye."

Noon came sooner than Elena would have preferred. She knew Damon was leaving and she felt like having so much to say to him. She tried to prepare a speech, copying it into her diary but it didn't seem enough.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_today Damon left town. I don't know if for good or if he comes back with or without Katherine. I hope he'll find her. I can't stand to see this sad look on his face. It's so not like him! But he also doesn't seem psyched enough to go searching her. There was no hope in his eyes when he told me. It rather looked like he wanted to end it all._

_Well, I'm probably imagining…_

_Saying goodbye to Damon was harder than I expected. I used to hate him for posing a threat to Stefan, me, my family and friends but now that I know his motives I kinda changed my mind. I don't justify the killings of course… but somehow I can understand him.

* * *

_

"I really don't know why you make such fuzz about it," Damon said, half amused. "You were happy to get rid of me, remember?"

Stefan was silent. Of course he had been happy about getting rid of Damon before but now that he had seen a human side of Damon, he didn't want him to leave. It was like losing his brother all over again. Elena knew this. She could read it from his face. She felt terrible, too. Against her own will she had started to actually like Damon.

"Oh, come on, don't pull such a face. I'm not dying, just leaving," he joked to cheer them up but failed. "Honestly, there's something seriously wrong with you, guys. You should be happy I'm gone."

Now Elena found her voice to speak.

"Yeah, some people may really be happy you're gone because you're such an arrogant ass without remorse." Damon smiled smugly. "But," she continued, looking straight into his blue eyes. "To me, you're always welcome here. Come back whenever you want with or without Katherine. You can always come back. And keep in touch."

It was then when her voice broke. What was wrong with her? In front of her there was the guy who killed so many people she knew and now she actually felt sorry for him and sad for him leaving. And before anyone could expect or prevent it she leapt at him and hugged him tightly.

"Oh no, don't shed tears for me. I'm not worth it," Damon joked.

"You're such an idiot!" Elena cried fiercely, hugging him even tighter.

The smug on his face vanished as Damon hugged her back.

"Thank you, Elena," he whispered into her ear. "For everything…" Then he let her go, being a jerk all over again. "You really don't like John Varvatos shirts, do you? Geez…"

He pretended to wring his shirt out. The false act made Elena and Stefan laugh slightly. Damon looked at Stefan expectantly. Now it was his turn to say something.

"Well, what can I say? Elena already said it all." Elena laughed chokingly. "But," Stefan continued. "I hope that you'll find her so that you'll finally be happy after all these years."

"Centuries," corrected Damon but his face lit up. "Come here, little brother," he said. he and Stefan hugged brotherly. Then Damon pushed him away. "Seriously, what are you doing to me?" he said smiling smugly and making the other two laugh. "Stay good," he told Stefan. "And as for the woman…" He turned to Elena and it was like a Deja-vu when he kissed her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Ms Gilbert. And we should definitely go for a road trip together again."

Elena laughed again. "It was nice meeting you, too, Damon."

He bowed, whispered "Goodbye" and in the blink of an eye he was gone.

"Goodbye, Damon."


	2. Farewell Again

_Thanks again, for all those reviews and favs! _

_I'm really happy you like the story. _

_As promised a new chapter! _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Farewell Again**

_Last I saw her was in Chicago. 1983._

Damon kept repeating Anna's words over and over in his head. It's been 27 years. Katherine could be anywhere now. If she still fed on human blood as he assumed she had the move often to cover her tracks. The chances of finding her were very low but Chicago was everything he had got, his only track to Katherine.

Damon had expected Stefan and Elena to stop him from leaving, telling him finding her wouldn't change anything… that he would be disappointed once again. Yet they hadn't. In fact, they even understood him very well, especially Elena. She'd been his support when his legs had threatened to give away after they'd left the tomb. The tomb in which Katherine should have been buried but wasn't. Damon just had to find her. She was everything he'd ever cared about.

_She knew where you were Damon… she didn't care._

He just couldn't believe these words. He and Katherine had shared so much. He was sure she'd never compelled him. He had acted out of his own will because he had loved her. She must have had some feelings for him, as well. She had turned him so that they could be together for eternity. They'd planned a future together.

**Flashback**

_Damon and Katherine were lying in bed, kissing passionately._

_"When are you gonna turn me?" he hissed._

_"Soon," she breathed and kissed him again._

_"Why not now? Time's running out. I told you they'd get closer everyday," Damon insisted._

_"I'm waiting for the right moment." She gave him one of those smiles he favored._

_"When will that be?"_

_Damon locked his lips, looking questioningly at Katherine. He demanded an answer._

_"You can be such a downer at times," she said offended and got off him._

_She went to the mirror and started brushing her hair. It was then when Damon first had doubts whether Katherine really wanted to be with him. He knew she'd been with his brother, too._

_Katherine watched him closely in the mirror. Damon straightened himself up._

_"But really, why waiting?" he started again._

_He heard her sigh deeply before she turned around._

_"You never give up, do you?" she observed._

_"I'm sorry," Damon quickly said and hung his head._

_"It's okay." Katherine's expression softened while she returned to his side. "I like that. You'll be a marvelous vampire."_

_That made Damon smile. Katherine softly pushed him back flat onto the mattress and started caressing his chest. "I just don't want you to die so soon," she said ever so sweetly and gave him a puppy eyes look which he couldn't resist._

_He leant forward and kissed her. Then he asked "And then? What happens if it becomes more dangerous for you?"_

_"Then we'll leave," she told him simply and started to kiss him passionately._

**End of Flashback**

Back then Damon had assumed she had included him in the "we" but now it started to down on him that he might not have been supposed to accompany her. He quickly shook it off. She wanted him like he wanted her. He strongly believed in that. As for her not getting in touch with him he found comfort in that she might be too busy. With whatever that might be.

And so he was boarding the plane that would take him straight to Chicago, wondering what the future might hold for him.

* * *

Elena was standing in front of the mirror in her room, getting dressed. She'd gotten up an hour earlier to look superb when she'd leave the house. The effort was worth it because she'd noticed Stefan losing interest in her. He'd changed extremely since Damon had left. It's been a month now in which they hadn't heard anything from him. Elena knew that he was worried about his brother but she also couldn't ignore the fact that Stefan was keeping his distance from her. She feared to lose him so she'd decided to show him what he would be missing, presenting all her beauty to him. Confident, it would attract him she went to school.

The first two people she met were Bonnie and Caroline.

"Elena!" Caroline said offended. "You're going to a party after school and you didn't tell me?"

Elena laughed at her indignant face and opened her locker.

"No, I'm not. It's for Stefan."

"Ah, so you're going out with him after school," Bonnie said knowingly.

"Nice thought," Elena replied and collected her books. "But it's not like that. In fact, we haven't been dating for quite a while now."

"But you're always together," Caroline observed.

"Yeah. That's it. We're together but we're not doing anything."

Sighing, Elena closed the locker and leant her back against it. "He's distancing himself from me."

"But why would he do that?" Bonnie asked incredulously. "You mean so much to him. I saw it."

"I don't know," Elena said. "All I know is it all started with Damon leaving."

"Well, personally I, am glad he's gone," Caroline bluntly said and Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Couldn't stand to see him almost everywhere I go."

"I'm not happy about it," Elena sighed. "Seems like something's missing."

The bell rang and they went to the classroom. In front of it they met Stefan. He gave Elena a short salutatory nod. Elena's face fell. So much for her plan. He had barely looked at her. Elena slumped into her seat and buried her face in your hands.

Their first lesson was American history. Elena hardly followed. All she got was that Saltzman was talking about how the town got its name Mystic Falls. She briefly wondered why he was revising this now. It would usually be taught two grades earlier. Actually, their topic now was World War II. Saltzman basically told them Mystic Falls' history in the nineteenth century.

"Can someone tell me when it was when the people in Mystic Falls believed in the existence of mystery and its creatures?" he asked.

"1864," Elena said monotonously.

She had encountered this date so often for the past months. She knew everything related to it. Back then Mystic Falls was founded, back then the people had been of vampires, back then Stefan and Damon had met Katherine…

"Right," Saltzman said. Of course he wasn't surprised she knew this as knew that she was in touch with vampires. For a moment Elena felt his gaze upon her. "Back then the people believed in everything," he continued. "Vampires… witches…" Elena and Bonnie shared a look and grinned. "It all ended it 1864 as well when they captured some people who were believed to be vampires."

"Terrible tragedy," Stefan said behind Elena.

She resisted the urge to turn around and look at him and turned her gaze to Saltzman instead. He was fixing Stefan for a moment.

"Yeah," he just said before he let his gaze wander around the class again.

"And what happened to the people?"

"Buried," Elena said before she could stop herself. Damn, she thought in the next moment. Her leg started to hurt because Bonnie had kicked it. Nobody aside from her, Stefan, Bonnie and her Grams knew that there was a tomb full of vampire bodies that might be resurrected anytime.

The class had gotten awfully quiet. Elena felt everyone's gaze upon her but Stefan, Bonnie and Saltzman's were the most penetrating ones. She tried to keep composure.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, pretending to be ignorant of what she had just said.

"You just said the vampires were buried," Caroline said.

"No, I didn't," Elena corrected her. "I said burnt. They were burnt."

"But I'm sure you said–"

"Sometimes I mumble, I'm sorry," Elena apologized and met Saltzman's gaze. "They were burnt," she added emphatically.

It seemed to take ages until Saltzman finally continued. Now Elena knew why he was revising the subject. As he knew there were vampires in town he wanted the people in class to not let their guard down. Of course he couldn't tell him the truth so he reminded them of what the people back then believed in.

The lesson soon ended after that little incident. The bell rang and the class was already getting up from their seats when Saltzman stopped them.

"I have an announcement to make," he declared and asked for everyone's attention. "Today's my last day here. I'm gonna leave Mystic Falls soon." Disappointment shot through the class because Saltzman had not been unpopular. "My successor will be happy to welcome you to his class tomorrow. I really enjoyed being your teacher. Good luck for the future."

Poor Aunt Jenna, Elena thought.

They left the classroom and went back to the lockers. Stefan and Bonnie waited for Caroline to leave for the toilet, then they turned to Elena.

"Elena, are you out of your mind?! Bonnie asked shocked. "You nearly gave me a heart attack in there."

"That was short. Too short, Elena. You have to be careful," Stefan reproached her.

"I know, I'm sorry," Elena said.

"What's wrong with you?" Bonnie asked. "You're never careless."

"I don't know, okay?" Elena said irritated. "Just forget it."

She knew she had been careless but she thought she had saved herself pretty well. Stefan probably sensed her feelings so he tried to cheer her up.

"You know our story pretty well now, don't you?" he said smiling.

"By heart," Elena replied dryly. She turned around to head for the classroom. Bonnie followed her.

Stefan didn't.

* * *

She had seen it coming all the way so she wasn't really surprised when Stefan send her a text message later that day to meet her at the Salvatore manor after school. Yet it didn't mean she accepted it.

"No!" Elena protested.

"Elena, all the vampire are leaving town. I realized it when Saltzman announced his leaving. I have to go. I have to cover my tracks."

"But the killings stopped. No one's suspecting you," Elena argued.

"Bu still it's never safe for a vampire to stay at one place for a long time. They could get to me by getting to you. It's for the best, Elena."

"But!" Elena insisted. "First Damon, now you. I can't take that, Stefan."

I'm sure you'll take it just fine. You're not alone. You've got Bonnie and Caroline and your family."

"But that's not enough!" Elena said. She was crying now. "Please don't go!"

"I'm sorry, Elena but I have no choice," Stefan apologized.

"Is it because of Damon? Will you go after him?" she asked.

"No, I'll go somewhere else. Anywhere. I'm not sure whereto yet.

"And when will you come back?" Elena inquired.

"I don't know…"

"You have to come back! I need you to come back! I love you, Stefan! Please, come back!"

"I love you, too, Elena. I promise I'll do my best to come back soon. Until then take care."

He kissed her softly goodbye, then he was gone, leaving Elena alone in the far too large manor.


	3. Lost In You

_It's me again! My muse is still there and it looks like it's not going to leave so soon^^ However nothing's really happening in this chapter. Damon's searching for Katherine and Elena is missing Stefan. I hope you'll like it anyway! I promise in the next chapter there's actually something going to happen and it will be really funny!_

By the way I changed the name of the fic. I chose the name because I thought it would always be one shot but since I changed my mind about that I needed a new name. I'm currently listening to the Vampire Diaries' soundtrack and I think I was inspired by The Editor's song "An End Hast A Start" ^^ I think it's a good choice considering how the story will go on...

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 3: Lost In You  
**

Finding a vampire who probably didn't want to be found wasn't the easiest thing to do. Damon had been searching for quiet a while now without any clue of Katherine's whereabouts. Chicago was a big city, where should he start to look for her? His first destination had been the town's registration office. Maybe Anna had met Katherine in Chicago because she had actually lived there for a while. He had gone straight to the office and compelled the civil servant to tell him everything about Katherine. He also showed him a picture of her but he had no luck. Katherine hadn't been living in Chicago. At least she was not registered. Maybe she had seen to that.

If she hadn't had a house, maybe she had lived at a hotel back then, Damon pondered. It was more her style anyway. So he had downloaded and printed out a list of ostentatious hotels in Chicago. There weren't few of them. Checking up on all of them had taken its time. Then, after two weeks he had finally discovered Katherine's trace.

Katherine had been living at the "Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago" for two month in 1983. The bill told him that she hadn't a private residence so she had to constantly travel around. Damon wasn't stupid. Katherine had paid the bill by MasterCard. So all he had to do was going to the headquarters of the company and take a look at the record of the card. It would eventually take him to Katherine. To the place where she last paid by credit card.

For a vampire the journey from Chicago to New York didn't take long. Soon he had reached the headquarters of MasterCard. Like before at Chicago's registration office he compelled the employee in customer service to run a scan on Katherine through his data bank and to print the recent record of her card. Everything went very well and he was even luckier. Katherine had recently used her card in Washington, yet again at a noble hotel.

He didn't hesitate for a second and went straight to Washington. He checked in at the same hotel Katherine was staying at and forced the receptionist to tell him Katherine's room number.

Satisfied about how close he was he slumped onto the large and comfortable bed in his suite and quickly fell asleep. When he woke up a few hours later he was feeling extremely hungry. Actually, he had been on animal blood diet but the closest zoo was too far away. His hunger was almost unbearable. He couldn't wait much longer. He had to have some blood, now.

So he headed to the local hospital and stole some stored blood. They had enough. No one would miss the five bags… After he had stilled his hunger he decided to take a walk around in the hotel, of course with the intention of looking for Katherine.

* * *

Elena was lying in her bed, her diary next to her. It was now full of pages on which she described how much she missed Stefan and how mad she was at him for leaving her. She couldn't give him any credit for the safety reason. She wasn't afraid of anything with him by her side. Now with him gone she was. However not of those who found out about the fact that vampires were occupying the town but of the vampires themselves. She still had the necklace of verveine but it could be easily ripped off her neck and then she would be exposed to any threat a vampire posed. Compelling… biting… Had Stefan ever considered that? Probably not…

_You'll take it just fine. _

Yeah, screw you, Stefan. I'm only crying all the time since you left, Elena thought frustrated.

A voice from downstairs distracted her.

"Elena you have visitors!"

Soon after that there was a knock and her bedroom door opened and Bonnie and Caroline entered.

"Hey, how are you?" Bonnie asked.

She and Caroline sat down on the bed beside her.

"It's Friday night, Elena," Caroline reminded her. "Don't tell me you're gonna stay here sulking like you did everyday this week."

"That's the plan," Elena replied.

"We're just worried about you, Elena," Bonnie explained. "You've been so different since Stefan left you."

"Yeah? Well, you should get used to it 'cause it's not gonna change until he comes back," Elena replied irritated.

"Oh, come on, Elena. There's a party going on at the grill," Caroline told her. "You really need to get out of here. It'll distract you from your misery. You're starting to drown in it like…"

Bonnie shot her a warning glance, making her shut up but Elena had heard enough.

"Like?" she snarled.

"Like last summer when your parents died." Caroline sighed. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

"What Caroline means is, life goes on and you shouldn't let it pass you by," Bonnie quickly added before Elena could explode.

"Maybe," Elena said slowly and emphatic. "I actually _want_ to drown in my misery like last summer."

Bonnie and Caroline had nothing to say to that and sighed helplessly.

Elena was pissed. So she wasn't even allowed to grief now? She was very disappointed by her friends. Caroline had always been blunt but mostly she was disappointed by Bonnie because it had been Elena who had helped her get over her grandmother's death. Elena was about to tell them to leave when she heard Aunt Jenna's voice from downstairs again.

"Elena, you have a visitor!"

Elena turned to Caroline.

"Did you bring Matt along?"

"No."

The girl exchanged a questioning look. The next moment the bedroom door opened…

"Damon!"


	4. Reunion

Back for the weekend 3 How are you doing? School's killing me right now. I'm afraid I will not be able to upload new chapters during the week. I'm really sorry. I'd rather write fanfiction then class tests XD Well, after that boring last chapter I have a better one for you now. Something's actually going to happen XD I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope you'll laugh, too, every now and then^^ Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Reunion**

"Good evening, ladies."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Caroline snarled.

"Visiting," Damon answered matter-of-factly.

"You!" Bonnie growled and jumped to her feet. "How dare you come back?! How dare you look me in the eye?!"

"What?"

"Bonnie," Elena said warningly and got up herself. She put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder to calm her down. "Her grandma is dead," she told Damon.

"Oh." He understood. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" Bonnie repeated in a high-pitched voice. "She was trembling and on the verge of tears. "You should be sorry!" It's your fault Grams is dead! You forced her to do this… thing and it killed her!"

Bonnie wanted to say "spell" but quickly chose a different word as Caroline didn't know what they did about a month ago and none of them wanted her to know it, either.

Again Elena explained the facts to Damon who looked slightly confused.

"She was already quite old–"

"She wasn't _that_ old!" corrected Bonnie.

"And this… thing," Elena continued. "It took her all of her nerves and strength."

"Oh," Damon said again. "I'm sorry. Really."

"You can stick it up your… Let's go, Caroline," Bonnie said and turned to Elena. "You coming with us?"

"Um…"

"I get it. See you around, Elena," Bonnie cut her off.

She and Caroline left the room. Damon sighed deeply.

"Phew…"

"I'm sorry," Elena apologized and sat down on her bed again. "I thought she'd gotten over it but when she saw you…"

"She blew up like a house full of gas," Damon exaggerated. "It's okay. I didn't think the old witch would die from it, though."

"Neither did I."

"Silence fell upon them for a moment until Elena spoke again.

"So… what are you doing here? I thought you were–"

"Visiting," Damon repeated. "But Stefan wasn't home so I came straight to you. I thought you might be able to tell me where he went?"

"No," Elena said sadly. "I've no idea."

"Too bad."

Elena didn't reply to that. She was silent, staring at the floor. Probably thinking of Stefan, Damon thought. He couldn't stand to see her like this. So depressed…

"You know, as much as I don't like them as they hate me," he said. "I agree with your friends on one thing, though. You really need to get out of the house."

And with that he pulled her up from the bed into his embrace and started to dance with her, turning and twirling her around.

"Uaah, Damon!" Elena squeaked in surprise. "Did you eavesdrop on us?"

"No need. You're voice flowed outside through the open window. I already heard you talking when I got out of the car."

He did that fifties move with her, eventually holding her loosely in his embrace so that she had to look up at him.

"Let's go out," he suggested. "You and me outside there. How's that sound?"

He pulled her up and put her down on the floor so that she could stand. Elena looked quite funny. Her hair was disheveled and she seemed to be slightly dizzy from dancing.

"I don't know…"

"You're busy?" he mocked grinning. "Writing in you diary? Oh come on, don't stand me up. It's Friday night. Let's go have some fun."

"Where do you want to go, anyway?" Elena asked, still indecisive.

"If I'm not mistaken there's a party at the grill, right? With music… dances… Sounds like fun to me. Doesn't it to you?"

Well, yes, somehow…"

"Great!" Damon exclaimed happily. "But you should change first. I'm not taking you in these clothes," he added, looking disgusted.

"Of course I'm going to change first. What – Damon, what are you doing?!"

As soon as Damon got her approval to his plans he headed for her wardrobe and started rummaging around. "Stop it! It's private!" Elena shouted embarrassed.

Damon ignored her and opened the drawer. There it was… lingerie and how beautiful it was!

"Oh, sexy."

"Damon!" Elena shouted emphatically, dragged him away from the wardrobe and pushed him to the door. "I'll go with you. I'll change now and I'll meet you downstairs, got it? And don't you dare to peep!"

"If I see something I haven't seen before I'll throw a–"

"Damon…!"

Elena was getting irritated and Damon didn't miss it.

"If I may make a recommendation. Take the red one. I'm sure it'll look beautiful on you. Oh and beneath those nice white… By the way is it Versace?"

"Get out!!"

Damon laughed amusedly and left, closing the door behind him. He went downstairs where he found Jeremy playing games in the living room and Aunt Jenna working in the kitchen. He entered the kitchen.

"Um, Ms Gilbert?"

Jenny turned around with a warm smile on her lips.

"Don't be so formal. You can call me, Jenna," she offered.

He gladly did so. "Thanks, Jenna. Um, I'd like to take Elena out if that is alright with you?"

"Sure," Jenna agreed at once. "I'm glad someone is taking her out. She's been so miserable."

Damon smiled. "Is there any specific time for her to come home?"

"No," Jenna shook her head. "I know she's with you and that's enough. Just make sure she's in school on Monday," she added jokingly.

"That's not a problem," Damon replied grinning. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Damon," Jenna said smiling.

Damon turned around and walked into the living room to Jeremy and sat down beside him.

"Hey, Jeremy, how you doin'?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Jeremy answered smiling. "You?"

"I'm fine," Damon said casually. "Hey, um, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

* * *

Half an hour later Damon and Elena reached the grill. When they got out of the car Damon offered Elena his arm for her to take which she did hesitantly. The grill was already full of people. As usually everyone was there, meeting people and having fun. The first thing Damon and Elena did was getting something to drink.

"What do you want?" Damon asked.

"Anything without alcohol," Elena replied.

"You sure? Last time you drank it was fun."

"Yeah and I could swear my head was going to burst the next morning." Damon laughed. "I'll have a coke."

"Make it two," Damon told the bartender. Elena looked at him half-amused. "What?"

"No alcohol for you, either?" she grinned.

"No, I have to drive you home safely, right?" he said passing her the coke.

"I thought it wouldn't affect you," Elena said, taking her coke.

"That would be awesome."

* * *

In a corner of the grill Caroline and Bonnie were watching them suspiciously.

"Want to drown in her misery, huh?" Caroline said, pissed.

"She looks pretty elated if you ask me."

"I can't believe she chose him over us," Bonnie gnarled. "Traitor."

"What does she see in him, anyway?" Caroline asked, shaking her head. Bonnie gave her a look. "What?"

"Nothing…"

* * *

"Wanna dance?" Damon asked.

"Oh no, rather not. I'm still dizzy from our dance in my room," Elena said grinning and took a sip of her coke.

Suddenly a cell phone started ringing. It was Damon's who took it out of his pocket and glanced at the display.

"Oh, this is important. I've got to take it," he said. "I'll be right back. Don't run away."

"I'll be a good girl and wait for you," Elena promised half-laughing.

Damon left her side and she let her gaze wander around the room. She saw Caroline and Bonnie standing in a corner and decided to join them.

"Hey," she greeted them, smiling. "You're having fun?"

"Less fun than you, I guess," Caroline shot back and crossed her arms, looking sternly at her. "I thought you wouldn't go out."

"I really wasn't going to. Damon persuaded me," Elena explained.

"So he better then?" Bonnie asked fiercely. "Better than us?"

"No!"

"Did you forget what he did?!"

"No, of course not."

"Then why are you with him?"

"It's some kind of a deal," explained Elena. "I agreed on hanging out with him because I need him to do something for me."

"And what's that?"

"Yeah, what's that?"

Damon was back and looked at her questioningly. Elena looked at him and found that he looked slightly pissed. How much of their conversation had he heard?"

"Well, we'll see you at school, Elena," Bonnie said.

"Bye, Elena," Caroline said.

The two girls quickly walked away. They couldn't stand to be with Damon in a room. Elena felt a little bit guilty for choosing Damon over them. She understood their anger. Almost as if to find and answer to her problem she looked at Damon who didn't looked pissed anymore.

"Hey, how about me fulfilling my promise tonight," he asked, catching her off guard.

"Which promise?"

"_The _promise. You know, four weeks ago when I said we should go on another road trip together, when you were all whiny whiny about me leaving."

"I wasn't whiny," Elena corrected him.

"Oh yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Anyway, what do you think?" Damon finished this useless discussion and demanded an answer from her.

"I don't know…" she began hesitantly.

"Don't tell me you've got plans for the weekend 'cause I know you don't."

"What if Stefan comes back?"

"He won't. Trust me, he won't."

"How do you know? Did you two talk?" Elena asked.

"No, we didn't." Damon answered. "Look, Stefan's not the type to leave and return a week later. Last time he left he came back fifty years later."

Elena stared at him.

"Don't give me that look. I'm sure he'll come back before the fifty years have passed," he assured her. "But not all too soon. So?"

She was still not sure about going, killing each and every one of Damon's nerves.

"What have you got to lose?"

"Why are you so stubborn?" Elena inquired suspiciously.

"Okay," Damon gave in. "Okay, you've got me. I've got an ulterior motive… I'm bored."

Elena laughed.

"Okay, fine, how long will we be–"

"We'll leave now and we'll be back Sunday night," he told her.

"Okay, but I have to go home first, ask Jenna for permission and get my stuff."

"No need. It's already done."

"How?"

"When you were dressing up I asked your aunt for permission and while you were a good girl waiting for me I met your brother outside. He brought your stuff just like I asked him to," Damon explained.

"You let him pack my clothes?! He's my brother!"

"Would you have preferred if _I_ packed your clothes?"

"No!"

"So, what's the problem? Let's go!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him.

"What about your stuff?" Elena asked when they reached the car.

"It's already in the back of the car," he said, opening the door on the passenger's side.

"Thanks," she said and got into the car. The next moment Damon was in the car, too. "You planned this."

"As spontaneously as ever," he smirked and started the car.

They left Mystic Falls and hit the freeway. Elena couldn't help but feel excited just like the last time she had hung out with Damon. She knew hanging out with him was actually fun so she had something to look forward to. She deliberately glanced at him every now and then and smiled. He didn't miss it and smiled smugly back.


	5. Questions and Answers

_One weekend, two in a row. I'm getting better XD Thanks again for your kind reviews! They keep me going. Well, I haven't got much to say about this chapter. The road trip goes on and Damon and Elena run out of stuff to talk about. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Questions and Answers**

"Hit the road, Jack. And don't you come back. No more no more no more no more!"

The blue Mustang rushed along the freeway up north. Damon had turned on the car radio and since then he and Elena had sung loudly along. At some point Damon had lowered his voice to be able to better listen to Elena's as he liked to listen to her singing.

The song ended and another one started. A slow one. Time for them to catch their breaths.

"The Grill is going to need a new bartender if anyone finds out he mixes alcohol into the coke," Damon joked.

"I'm not drunk," Elena made clear. "Just…"

"Having a good time?" he offered.

"Yeah."

"See, nothing's better than a road trip with a hot-looking, smart and charming vampire like me."

She giggles. "Um, sure."

"You don't think I'm hot?" Damon said, pretending to sound broken-hearted. "After all we've been through. You disappoint me," he sniffed but quickly regained composure. "I don't believe you. You think I'm hot. I know you do. I'm hot, right? Just little bit, right? Come on, admit it. I already know you think so."

Elena laughed. "A little bit." Damon's face lit up. "A tiny little bit."

"I knew it."

Elena laughed again and glance out of the window. "By the way, where are we going?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"You're heading anywhere in particular?"

"Right now we're heading north. You decide it. Where do you wanna go?" Damon said.

"Mmm. Right now, where are we?"

"Close to West Virginia, I think."

"Would we make it in time to go to New York?" she asked hopefully.

Damon pulled a face. "New York…? Yeah, I think so. But that's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Just accept it. We're not going to New York, okay?" he barked.

Elena stared at him, startled by his sudden anger. She didn't want him to get mad so she quickly thought of a different place they could go to.

"We could say hello to Bree," she suggested.

"No, we can't," Damon contradicted. They couldn't say hello to Bree because she was dead. Damon had killed her himself and he didn't want Elena to know it. "How about Florida?" he suggested now. "Ever been there?"

"Not yet."

"Would you like to go there?" he asked.

"Sure but you have to turn–"

"That's not a problem," he cut her off and turned around on the freeway. Now they were heading down south.

For the next half an hour they didn't talk. Elena was still slightly startled because Damon had barked at her for apparently no reason and Damon was quiet because he was lost in thoughts about Katherine. He had remembered her instantly when Elena had brought up New York. After all New York wasn't far away from Washington D.C. …

"Damon?" Elena's voice brought him back to the present.

"What is it?" he asked exhausted.

"I know it's none of my business," she started carefully. "But I wondered why you came back early. Did anything happen? How did the search go? Did you find Katherine?"

Damon exhaled deeply. He felt his blood already starting to boil. He tried to calm himself. His anger wasn't directed toward Elena.

"Seriously, Elena," he said slowly and calm. "If I think about Katherine now I'll kill us, no you, because I'll crash with high speed into the next approaching car."

Elena stared at him. "That bad, huh?" she quietly mumbled.

Damon didn't reply to it but he wanted the conversation to keep going so he asked a question himself.

"Why did Stefan leave? I have no clue."

Elena crossed her arms and stared out of the window.

"We both have something we don't want to talk about," she just said.

Damon nodded. He knew the answer anyway. Stefan had sent him a text message while he had been in Washington saying "I need to leave. If you come back before me please take care of Elena."

That was exactly what he was doing. It was the reason why he was hanging out with Elena. He was taking care of her.

"Back at the Grill I heard you talking to Bonnie and Caroline," he suddenly started, his eyes fixed at the road. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "You need me to do something?" he repeated her words from hours ago, trying not to sound angry. Actually, he had thought she enjoyed his company and wasn't spending time with him because she tried to get something out of it.

"Kind of," Elena replied. "I want to ask you something. Something that's very important to me and that Stefan would never tell me."

Damon's relaxed. She just wanted to ask him something. If that was it she could ask him whatever she wanted.

"I see," he said. "Go ahead."

"I've been thinking about this for some time now," she told him. "Ever since Stefan told me I was adopted. Well, it's more than obvious that I look like Katherine and I've been wondering why. Who was my mother? What connection did she have to Katherine? What connection do I have to her?"

Damon's fingers tightly clenched the steering wheel. Elena was bringing up another thing he neither wanted to think nor to talk about.

"Elena, I'm not like my brother," he began. "I won't lie to you. Not even for your safety. I'll be honest with you." He paused for a moment as if to find the right words. "Yes, I know what the connection is. I've done some research. And no, I won't tell you. You can shout at me, be mad at me forever but it all won't make me change my mind. I won't share this bit of information with you."

He turned his head to look at Elena. She looked like she was just slapped in the face. She seemed to be struggling with herself. A part of her probably wanted to force the answer out of him but in the end she just accepted it.

"Okay. What if I find it out by myself?"

"I hope you never will. Trust me, it's better this way."

"You're not any better than Stefan," she told him. "You're both perfect secret keepers."

"Look, I didn't want to know it, okay?" he said growing irritated. "I wish I never found out. So just forget it."

Elena was pissed. She had actually thought Damon would be frank with her but he, too, had a reason to keep the truth from her. At least he was straight with her but it wasn't much of a comfort to her.

So much for the good time, Damon thought. He knew she would have asked him eventually as she was right about Stefan. He'd rather die than tell her the truth. And Damon was almost like him. He wouldn't let her know for as long as possible. He glanced over at her. She was staring outside, her arms crossed and pissed. He didn't blame her. He couldn't stand to be left out, either. He was trying to find the right words to soother her anger but he didn't succeed in it. That was Stefan's talent. Somehow his brother could always cheer her up. Why couldn't, too?

"Do you want me to drive you back home?" he asked already preparing himself for the answer.

Elena was about to snap "Yes!" but she couldn't. Sure, she would be rid of Damon whom she couldn't stand to see right now but it wouldn't change anything. She would still be mad at him like forever and afterwards she would be sad because she would be all alone in her room again, missing and waiting for Stefan. If she stayed she'd give Damon a chance to distract her and make up for not telling her by letting her have a good time with lots of fun.

"No," she said eventually. "I don't."

Damon was relieved to hear it and he decided to let her forget all of her unanswered questions by giving her the best time of her life. Florida seemed to be an appropriate place to achieve it.

"Thanks," he said and gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I shouldn't have asked you. You told me you didn't want to think of Katherine and I brought her up."

"It's okay," Damon replied, partly shocked that she was blaming herself so much. "You have a right to know it." And then he did something he was sure he would regret later. "I'll tell you… later… sometime, okay? Not now but I promise I will." As I'm the only one who can answer your questions, he added in his thoughts. He smiled slightly when he saw Elena's face lighten up.

"Thank you, Damon. I really appreciate that," she said gratefully.

"You're welcome." Elena leaned happily back into the seat and yawned heartily. "You can take a nap. It's gonna take some hours to get to Florida."

"Yes, I will," she decided and closed her eyes. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Elena smile.


	6. Florida Pt 1 Disney World & Sea World

_I'm late I know! School was killing me with all of its exams! . But now I've got five weeks off, early Easter vacation and enough time to make up for the waiting! I'll keep writing from morning till evening because there's simply nothing else I wanna do. So here it is, chapter 6_.

_Thanks for your answers to the question I posted! After some thinking I chose Disney World and Sea World because I thought Elena and Damon would enjoy them most._

_And now I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**  
Chapter 6: Florida Part 1 (Disney World, Sea World)  
**

The remaining hours to Florida passed by quickly, at least for Elena who didn't wake up before the morning.

"Mornin' sleepy head," Damon said even before she had opened her eyes.

"Mornin'…"

"_Still_ tired?" He raised a brow.

"You're a hand full. You wear me out," she countered.

"Well, then I guess I'll probably have to carry you to bed tomorrow night."

"Possibly." She glanced outside. "Are we nearly there?"

"Half an hour till we arrive at the hotel."

"_Hotel?!_"

"What did you expect?" he asked and laughed when he caught the astonished expression on her face. "We'll definitely not sleep in the car. I've tried it before and my back hurt for a week."

"Fine, but don't embarrass me."

Damon didn't reply to that. Instead he grinned mischievously.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel half an hour later Elena was shocked. Damon had picked the probably most expensive hotel all around Florida.

"You must be crazy! How are we gonna afford this?!" she demanded.

"You know I had this grandfather, Damon Salvatore and he had quite a rich father and as luck would have it, I inherited all of his fortune and now I can live on the interest." He caught her still incredulous expression. "Don't feel uncomfortable. This stay will hardly dig a hole into my pile of gold." He blinked.

"But why did you pick the most expensive one of all hotels?" Elena inquired shaking her head.

"That's the disadvantage that comes with wealth," he explained. "You get used to a high standard."

"Impossible…"

Damon laughed.

They headed for the reception and Damon couldn't but book the best and definitely most expensive suite the hotel could offer. It turned out it was already taken. Yet they got it because Damon _kindly asked_ the receptionist to take another look at his booking list. He did and fortunately he had obviously made a mistake. So he handed Damon the key to their suite and wished them a nice stay. Of course Elena didn't approve of Damon's means.

"Don't give me that look. I'm a vampire, remember? I'm the pure evil. It's too late to re-educate me."

He grinned smugly, leaving Elena speechless but when they entered the suite she quickly found her voice again.

"Oh my god! What is this?! The president's suite?!"

"Yeah, I think so," Damon answered casually. The suite had two separate bedrooms and a parlor with fireplace and minibar. "Impressed?" Damon seemed to be amused. "Two separate bedrooms. I guessed you'd like that."

Elena gave him a sharp look. What did he think? That she would happily share a bedroom or even bed with him? Certainly not!

"Not really," she lied, answering his question and threw dropped her bag onto the bed. "So what are we gonna do, now?"

"Let's check out the city. Come on," he said, grabbed her hand to drag her along.

"Wait!" She stopped him.

"What?"

"I'm gonna change first. I can hardly check out the city in this dress. I'll meet you outside."

"Fine but hurry," he told her and left.

Elena said down on the bed and opened her sports bag. It contained lingerie, two shirts, a skirt and a pair of trousers. At least Jeremy had packed decent things, although she felt sure Damon had told her brother exactly which clothes he should pack. She went for a blue shirt and the pair of jeans. As decent as possible, she told herself. When she was ready she quickly sent Jeremy a message that she would talk to him about his complicity in Damon's plans. He answered her soon after, asking her to say hi to Damon for him. She only shook her head.

* * *

Florida was definitely a place worth going to, Elena thought. It had so many things to see and enjoy. They took a ride around the city and hit the main streets. Being a girl Elena would have given everything for a real shopping adventure which would end with several full bags of clothes but although she was quite impressed at what Florida offered she did not forget why she was here and who was with her. Damon. If it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't be here. It had been his idea to go to Florida. They were here to spend some quality time together and she was enjoying it even without the opportunity of shopping. While they were walking down the street she glanced at Damon. His expression was almost bored. He had probably been to Florida a thousand times of his vampire existence. She should be grateful to him for taking her to this beautiful place, Orlando, Florida and she was. She planned to make up for it at the end of their trip but she didn't know how yet. When they reached the end of the main street, before she could ask where they would go Damon surprised her with his destination. Elena stopped in front of the gates, an amazed, childlike expression on her face.

"Disney World?!"

"I guessed you'd like that. Besides, Florida is partly famous for the park." He shrugged.

"Of course I like it! I loved their movies when I was younger! Elena replied happily.

Damon smiled smugly. "I guessed so."

That was what he had been trying to achieve. Seeing Elena as happy as a child who had just gotten a new toy. When he saw the happiness reach her eyes he couldn't help but smile, too.

As if it wasn't terrific enough already, Damon paid for her, telling her he would be offended if she tried to pay it back. "Be my guest," he said when they entered the park. "And now let's have some fun!"

They had lots of fun at Disney World. There were attractions for everyone making sure that none of the guest would die of boredom. First they entered the Hall of Presidents in which you could see a wax statue of each and every president of the United States, watch a film about the origins of America, the formation of the Constitution and the struggle the country had to fight. Elena had wanted to go there.

"You really are into history, aren't you?" Damon said appreciatorily.

"Well, I have to broaden my horizon to keep up with you and Stefan. He made quite an impression on me during our first history class together. He even corrected Mr. Tanner who looked like he was about to kill Stefan then."

She laughed but only to conceal her sadness. It hurt to talk about Stefan during his absence. She missed him very much but she pulled herself together for Damon. He didn't deserve to be spoilt the fun for everything he had done so far.

"Besides, you're right. I am into history," she added.

"You know him?" Damon inquired, pointing at the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

"Sure, who doesn't?"

"I actually saw him once."

"You didn't!" Elena said in awe.

"Yes, I did. Never met him in person, of course. Back then in 1864 Father went to Washington to vote and took us along. We were supposed to witness Lincoln losing the elections. Father, the rich bastard he was, didn't approve of Lincoln. However, as we all know, Lincoln won the elections for the second time. I still recall Father's expressions in that moment. He looked like he had been smacked straight into the face."

"I always envy you," Elena said.

"For what? For seeing my Father's expression?" Damon asked confused.

"No," Elena corrected. "For witnessing the elections back then."

"Oh, it wasn't that interesting," Damon dismissed it. "Politics is actually pretty boring."

He gave her a smile which she returned before they continued their tour. Their next stop was at the "Test Track". It was absolutely something for Damon. A high-speed-vehicle-simulation ride at up to 60 miles an hour. Vampires were used to speed so Damon was more than in for a ride but Elena refused.

"Oh, come on. It isn't _that_ fast," he tried to encourage her. "Really. I'll hold you so you won't get thrown out in a bend."

Elena still wasn't persuaded.

"If you get out of the cart at the end of the ride, regretting you let yourself in for it, you may let me pay for it," he added.

"I'd do it anyway," Elena replied. "Okay, fine. I better not regret this," she threatened him.

He smirked and let her get into the cart first.

It turned out to be a hell of a ride. Way to fast to Elena's taste but not unbearable as she constantly told herself. Damon was obviously enjoying it and she pulled herself together to not spoil his fun. In the end however she was glad to get out of the cart. During the ride she had lost her balance. Already the first step was placed wrong and she stumbled forward. Fortunately Damon was there to catch her.

"You okay?" he inquired worriedly.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy," she answered, clinging on to him as he was supporting her. "Thanks," she said when the dizziness had subsided and let go of him.

"Uh-oh. I'm doomed," he suspected.

"No," she replied to his surprise. "It was cool, really, but a little to fast to my taste."

"Let's go get something to eat," Damon decided. "To increase your blood pressure."

They continued and headed for the first snack bar they came across. They ordered burgers like they had in Atlanta and coke. The sugar helped to increase Elena's blood pressure.

"You're better now?" Damon inquired.

"Yes, much better." She smiled.

"Shall we move on?"

"Sure."

They returned to the regular path through park past the numerous attractions. The next one they checked out was "Soarin'", a simulated flight over the State of California, featuring San Francisco and its famous Golden Gate Bridge, Napa Valley, Monterrey, San Diego, Los Angeles and Malibu and much more. It was a welcome and peaceful experience unlike the fast ride before.

"I guess I know where we'll go on our next trip," Damon grinned when he caught Elena's dreamy expression and she nodded in agreement.

The last attraction that caught their interest was "The American Idol Experience". Actually they had planned to just take a look around, watch people perform and maybe even vote for one but then Damon had an idea and Elena was trapped.

"Do you like to sing?" he wanted to know.

"Well, I used to sing in the choir at school," she evaded. "But I quit it like I quit cheerleading."

"Front row or back row?"

"Front row," she admitted hesitantly. She had a hunch what he was driving at but she would never, for nothing in the world…

Five minutes later she desperately tried to remember why she was standing onstage now. Everything she remembered were Damon's kind, encouraging words that had made her agree eventually. She knew he wasn't compelling her. She had agreed out of her own free will.

And now she was standing onstage with the microphone in her hands, nervously looking around. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Damon and all the other people around. She hardly had time to prepare herself because the music had already started.

_Shit!_, she thought. _I'm so gonna regret this._

At least she was lucky regarding the song choice. There was actually one song she dared to sing.

Damon was amused. He wanted Elena to loosen up a little. That was why he had persuaded her to go onstage and sing. Even if the performance would turn out as a disaster she would still have fun doing it. And something told him that it wouldn't turn out bad at all. He was quite impressed by her song choice. He knew the song and he knew it wasn't easy to sing but Tori Amos' voice was similar to Elena's. Maybe that was why she had chosen it. Elena was nervous. Everyone could see it. She fiddled with the microphone, looking helplessly around until the music started. Then suddenly, she was completely focused on the song as her urge to prove herself was stronger than her fear. And once she had started to sing all of her insecurity was gone. Damon was very pleased. He had not been mistaken. This would turn out great. He smiled and closed his eyes to let himself get lost into the music and Elena's voice.

Once she had started to sing Elena felt much better. She wasn't afraid anymore. For the next four minutes she focused on the song and let the music guide her.

_On my way up North_

_Up on the Ventura I pulled back the hood and I was talking to you_

_And I knew then it would be a life long thing but I didn't know that we_

_We could break a silver lining_

_And I'm so sad_

_Like a good book I can't put this day back_

_It's a __sorta fairytale with you_

_It's a __sorta fairytale with you_

_Things you said that day_

_Up on the 101 the girl had come undone_

_I tried to downplay it with a bet about us_

_You said that you'd take it as long as I could_

_I could not erase it_

_And I'm so sad_

_Like a good book I can't put this day back_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_And I ride along side_

_And I rode along side you then_

_And I rode along side 'til you lost me there in the open road_

_And I rode along side 'til the honey spread itself so thin_

_For me to break your bread_

_For me to take your word_

_I had to steal it_

_Way up North__ I took my day_

_All in all was a pretty nice day_

_And I put the hood right back where you could taste heaven perfectly_

_Feel out the summer breeze_

_Didn't know when we'd be back and I_

_I don't, didn't think we'd end up like this_

_And I'm so sad_

_Like a good book I can't put this day back_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_I could pick back __it up whenever I feel_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

_It's a__ sorta fairytale with you_

When the music faded away the people around her, including Damon broke into cheering and clapping. Elena was their star. She was overwhelmed by the positive reaction of the audience. She'd never expected them to like her singing at all. When she got offstage he votes were shown on the screen. Full score! She blushed. At once she was surrounded by several people Damon, some 'fans' who wanted her signature and the director of the attraction who offered her an exclusive Dream Ticket, a straight ticket to the next American Idol season. Elena declined both the signings and the ticket politely but firmly.

She searched Damon and told him that she wanted to leave. He nodded and led her through the crow outside.

"You were awesome," he told her on their way to the exits.

"Not you, too," Elena groaned.

"No, I'm serious. Singing is definitely your thing," he insisted. "I must know 'cause I'm very picky but you've got a beautiful voice. I already noticed it on the ride and–"

He shut his mouth before he could tell her even much more than he wanted her to know and he saw her blush at his words so he changed the subject, pretending nothing happened.

"So is there any place you want to go?"

"Mm, I've never been here before so I have no idea," she replied.

"Then I'll choose again. You'll love it."

"More than Disney World," she grinned.

"You tell me," he said, grinning back.

Another surprise, Elena thought exhausted. The ride in the cart and the fuzz about her performance had worn her out.

"But make it something nice, please or you'll really have to carry me to bed tomorrow night," she requested.

Damon didn't tell her that he actually wouldn't mind but respected her request and chose something for their next destination that couldn't be more peaceful. Sea World.

And again Elena was amazed. She had never expected Damon to have such a soft side and as if he was reading her mind he said "Girls like dolphins, right?"

Of course he was right, at least Elena like dolphins and all the other cute creatures. Boys like Damon were more into sharks and killer whales. So Sea World was something for both of them again.

Elena only listened half-heartedly to Damon's sermon on sharks and their similarity to vampires. Both reacted strongly to human blood and fed on humans if they wanted. That was everything she actually caught. She was almost dying to see the dolphins. Luckily for them there was a show starting soon. She didn't want to miss it and urged Damon forward. When they reached the tank they were almost ten minutes early and had the best position to watch. Just before the show it started getting crowded. Many families with little girls or couples were anticipating the show.

The show was terrific, Elena thought. She really enjoyed it. The crowd was shouting ohhhs and ahhhhs when they saw the cute dolphins and it got even better. The people in the first row, who were the closest to the animals were allowed to stroke them much to Elena's pleasure. At the end of the show she was incredibly happy and overjoyed. She was so grateful to Damon for having taken her here that she was about to hug him. It took her all of her self-restraint not to do it and prevent another embarrassing moment. So she just enjoyed each minute. Her gaze met Damon's and she saw him smile slightly. She didn't know why he was doing it but it made her even happier. They stayed at Sea World until the sun started setting, then they went back to the car.

"Oh, Damon, how can I ever make up for this?" Elena wondered loudly.

"Will you please stop it?" Damon said. "I told you, you don't need to make up for anything."

"But it's so much!"

"It's standard," Damon corrected her. "Don't bring it up again. Really, it's okay."

They got into the car. Damon started it and drove towards the sunset.

"I almost don't dare to ask what's next. You always have something even better in store," said Elena.

Damon smiled smugly. "Just wait and see."

She got it. He wanted to surprise her again. He seemed to enjoy it. So Elena leaned back into the comfortable seat, looking forward to the next point on his gorgeous list.

* * *

_That's it. The chapter became somewhat long that I had to cut it. The other part will follow soon._

_I guess I enjoyed writing the chapter a little too much because now I want to go to Disney World ;__; I did some research for this chapter and worked my way through their OHP. I really envy Damon and Elena. Well, I hope I chose the right attractions for them. It was really difficult to chose them because you can never be sure what they would really like. I hope I had a good guess and that it's not too unrealistic. _

_By the way, the song Elena is singing is called "Sorta Fairytale" by Tori Amos. Actually the song is much longer and has more text but there's alos another version short and compact like the one above. I just made video for Damon and Elena with that song. Check it out! I'd post the link but is not very link-friendly. So I'll give you my nickname at Youtube. It's Asuchan91. _

_Phew, so much story, so many links, so much information. The next chapter will probably have as much story I think. I wonder when I'll be able to upload it. Mabye tomorrow? But I can't promise anything. All I can promise is I'll hurry^^_


	7. Florida Pt 2 True Feelings

_I'm getting better at this. One chapter in two hours. A new record! XD Or just some really boring business class. Well it was good for something as you can see XD The trip to Florida continues. _

_Some of you or probably all of you have been wondering what happened when Damon was looking for Katherine in D.C. This secret is being revealed now in flash back in italics! _

_Well, I haven't got much more to say aside from: Enjoy!  
_

_

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_

**Chapter 7: Florida Part 2 True Feelings**

Wherever Damon was heading for, it was outside of Orlando. This ride was longer than the ones to Disney World and Sea World. They drove for miles and miles and Elena kept wondering where Damon was taking her to. The sun had nearly set. There was only a shimmer of orange in the darkening sky. She guessed they had been driving for an hour without talking to each other, just listening to the radio. Damon was focused. His eyes never left the road. The silence between them was comfortable but gradually Elena got impatient. She turned her gaze to the front and could see the coast a few miles ahead of them. Suddenly she had an idea. But Damon wouldn't or would he?

Damon never turned, he was driving straight towards the coast and Elena started to trust her feelings. Still when Damon actually stopped at the coast she held her breath. As if he knew what she was thinking he gave her a small smile.

They got out of the car and walked towards the beach. Elena was mesmerized by the view in front of her. The orange-red fireball-like sun was hovering just above the surface of the sea. It was a very romantic atmosphere which made her wonder why Damon would take a walk on the beach with her. Again Elena felt like he was reading her mind because he answered her unspoken question.

"Sometimes I go to the beach and take a walk to catch my breath," he told her. "The silence is really helpful if you want to think about certain things and make important decisions."

He glanced at Elena who was looking astonished at him. So he actually did have a soft side!

"What?" he asked half-amused. "Didn't think I'd do that, did you?"

"No – Yes – I don't know," she stammered.

He smiled smugly. "But don't you dare to say a word about it to my brother," he added menacingly.

"I'll take it to the grave," she replied and they both had to laugh at the ambiguity.

"Then I guess I can share some more secrets with you 'cause you won't die so soon."

"You think so?"

"You're pretty tough and even if you get into serious danger you have the Salvatore brothers to protect you," he explained earnestly.

"For the time being just one of them," she reminded him sadly.

"I'm working for two," he told her and was happy when he saw the corners of her mouth turn slightly up.

The sun had set completely now and darkness replaced it with the cold of the night. A slight breeze blew past them and made Elena shiver. Damon didn't miss it. He took off his leather jacket and put it over her shoulders and if this wasn't gentlemen-like already she put his arm around her and pulled her close to her. Elena was surprised by it but welcomed the warmth he was giving her. Yet she felt a little bit guilty. She could have brought a jacket herself.

"Aren't you cold now?" she inquired.

"No, I'm fine," he assured her, smiling. The straddled for another mile, just enjoying the moment until Damon turned to her again. "Let's go back to the hotel."

"You have another surprise for me?" she wanted to know.

"No," he answered. "Or does a bar surprise you?"

"Not really," she grinned.

So they went back to the car to return to the hotel. One hour later they arrived there and went down into the lounge. They took a seat and ordered some drinks. Actually Elena hadn't wanted to drink but being with Damon she could do everything and she liked that freedom. She had a sweet cocktail while Damon had a beer. After relaxing a little on the sofa Elena was in for some fun, remembering their trip to Atlanta.

"I'm bored," she pouted.

"I know how to change it," he replied, got up, pulled her up from the sofa and led her to the dance floor.

Elena still remembered Damon's way of dancing pretty well and opened her mouth to refuse but then she no longer protested. In fact Elena liked the music playing in the bar. It made her want to move and Damon certainly knew how to do it. He turned and twirled her around until she felt terribly dizzy and told him to stop. That was around midnight.

"Let's call it a day," Damon decided, took her hand and led her out of the lounge.

They took the elevator to their suite and settled in Elena's bedroom. Damon slumped on her bed and stretched himself. Elena sat down beside him and took off her shoes. Her feet slightly hurt from dancing so wildly with Damon. It had been some time since she had danced longer than one song.

"You tired?" she asked Damon who had closed his eyes.

"Not really. You?"

"No," she smiled. "On the contrary, I feel pretty elated." He smiled. "Thank you for everything, Damon."

"Ah ah ah," what did I tell you?"

"I'm just thanking you," she insisted. "I'm happy that you convinced me to go on this trip with you. You sure know how to make a girl happy."

Damon didn't reply to that and Elena started to regret what she had said. Usually she would have never dared to say something like this if it wasn't for the alcohol.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Forget–"

"You think so?" he interrupted her.

"What?"

"You really think I can make a girl happy?" he repeated.

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

Damon opened his eyes but didn't look at her. Instead her stared off into emptiness.

"I think you're alone in that," he mumbled.

He had had many girls in his life and afterlife, mostly to have some fun but he didn't think that any of these girls enjoyed being with him.

Elena felt uncomfortable. She regretted having started a topic which was obviously causing Damon pain. She had a hunch as to what he was thinking about and soon he confirmed it by saying it out loud.

"Kath wasn't happy with me," he sighed.

Elena felt even guiltier now. Damon was still hurt by Katherine. It was still haunting him and it seemed like it had gotten worse with time. She felt deeply sorry for Damon and wanted to help him get over his grief. But how? She knew that it helped some people to just talk about it. It seemed to be the right way to help Damon, too, because he didn't have anyone to talk to. His pride didn't let him talk to Stefan about his problems and aside from Stefan he had nobody else.

Just her.

"Damon," she began hesitantly. "What happened while you were gone searching for Katherine?"

Damon didn't answer at once. He took his time until he was ready to talk about what had been bothering him for so long.

"It wasn't easy to find her," he started. "I guess she didn't want to be found. She often changed her whereabouts but I found her eventually… in Washington D.C. I checked in in the same hotel she was living in. My room was on the same floor as hers… I didn't see her during the day and in the evening I began looking for her."

* * *

_Damon went down the stairs into the__ lounge. You could here many voices talking. He pricked his ears and tried to make out Katherine's voice. The closer he approached the lounge the more difficult it became and when he entered it, it became impossible. So he relied on his eyes and searched for her in the crowd. His eyes scanned the room and eventually found someone who looked quite similar to her. _

_The woman was sitting at the counter next to fat man who looked like a congressman. Damon took a seat that offered him a prefect view on them. He saw the woman the hand of the politician and gently stroking the back of it. The sight made Damon feel sick. The man looked like he was forty years older than her (which wouldn't mean anything considering Katherine how old Katherine was now but still). It didn't take Damon much time to conclude that she was his mistress._

_After a few minutes the woman emptied her glass of wine and kissed the old man goodbye. He obviously couldn't get enough of her as he grabbed her butt and squeezed it tightly._

_Damon was about to puke. Thank god he hadn't ordered a drink. He averted his gaze and waited for the woman to pass him by. One minute more and he slowly followed her. _

_She left the hotel and stepped outside on the dark street. She was heading somewhere in particular. She never stopped for look around so she must have walked this way many times before. Following her Damon wondered where she was going and was shocked when she turned into an alley and stepped into the darkest district of D.C. The district of criminals and whores. _What the hell is she doing there?_ he desperately wondered. _

_She headed straight for a bar which looked really dirty even from outside and Damon had a very bad feeling. It turned out his feelings didn't trick him. It was a table dance bar. He couldn't believe his eyes. Was Katherine meeting someone here? As cruel as the thought was, considering her relationship with the congressman. He entered the bar and lost her in the crowd. He didn't get nervous. Somehow he knew he would see her again soon. His bad feeling increased and he begged _God no, please no.

_But no one listened to his prayers. Five minutes later she came back into his view, joining the other table-dancers. Apparently she was the favorite of the disgusting men down her feet. When she appeared all the men started cheering. The woman who looked so similar to Katherine seemed to enjoy it and began to move her body in sexy ways, turning on the men. _

_At this point Damon had seen enough. He averted his gaze and made his way to the exit. Outside on the street he took a deep breath._

It's not Kath. It's not Kath. It's not her_, he kept telling himself. It couldn't be her. It wasn't her style… or was it? How much had she changed over the years? He understood the thing with the congressman. She put up with him because he had power and money. So that part about her hadn't changed. Back then she had put up with the Salvatores for the same reason. It was no secret. But why the bar? Why selling her body to such low, disgusting scum? It had looked like she actually had enjoyed being the queen for the many…_

_He suddenly remembered some words he had heard before from Pearl and Stefan._

She had him under her spell like everybody else.

Our love for Katherine wasn't real, Damon. She compelled us.

No!_ Damon thought desperately. She had never compelled him. He had loved her because he had wanted to, because she had meant something to him…_

_But apparently she had really not returned his feelings and why should she have? Didn't she have a great substitute for him? A bunch of substitutes! Damon got angry. He felt betrayed by her, like she was cheating on him. She probably didn't even remember him at all. He didn't want to imagine how many men had made her forget about him. It was disgusting. She was disgusting. What had she become? A succubus? Yeah, she was nothing more than that. A monster which turned on poor men like him who pathetically fell in love with her._

_He had seen enough. He wanted to leave. Far away from all of this. He wanted to forget about everything… about her… but he couldn't. He needed certainty that she had forgotten him, that he had never meant anything to her… So he went back to the hotel and waited for her to come back. He waited hours, trying to prepare some things he would tell her._

_Then after midnight he felt her presence approach. He directed his gaze to the entrance of the hotel. Katherine was just coming in. Thank god she was alone. She bid the doorman and the receptionist, who bowed elegantly, goodnight. She smiled turned her gaze to Damon who was sitting casually in the armchair next to the elevators._

_"I remember you," she told him when she had reached him. Damon's heart started pounding faster. Maybe there was still hope. "You've been following me tonight." _

_"Why not," he replied smiling. "You're a beautiful woman."_

_She giggles like a little girl, making Damon feel sick again. "Let me walk you to your room," he offered and got up._

_They took the elevator to their floor and continued their small talk._

_"You're not like the others," she observed. "Different somehow."_

_"You don't miss a thing. I think__ you know what makes me different?"_

_"I think I think so, too," she said sweetly. "What brings you here?"_

_"You," he told her directly to catch her off guard but if he had she hid it pretty well. "I remember you too," he continued. "From about 145 years ago."_

_She looked at him, slowly realizing what time he was talking about._

_"It was 1864 if I remember it correctly?" she said, giving him her sweetest smile. "And your name was?"_

_Her words hit him like slap in the face. So she really didn't remember him… He hadn't been special enough to stick in her mind._

_"Salvatore," he answered, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "_Damon_ Salvatore," he added, stressing his first name._

_Her face lit up. "Ah, now I remember you! I'm sorry, it's been a long time," she apologized but Damon didn't accept it. _

_"No problem," he said through gritted teeth._

_"How's Stefan?" she wanted to know next and hit Damon another time. _

_"He's fine," he told her with false kindness._

_"Give him my best," she said. "Well, you came for me, Damon?" she picked up his statement from earlier. "May I say Damon?" she added politely._

_"Sure," he agreed but would've rather said no. "You're right I came for no one but you."_

_"I'm flattered." She giggled again, pissing Damon even more off. "What can I do for you?"_

_Now was the time to make a decision. Tell her the truth or lie. He decided to sell a story he quickly imagined in his mind._

_"There were rumors holding you'd be still alive," he told her. "Although all of us saw you being brought to the tomb. But on opening it we didn't find your body in it."_

Damn_, he thought. _I shouldn't have told her.

_"Oh, you opened the tomb?" For some reason she looked very happy about it._

_"Yes, we did." He had to continue with the truth, now. "Anna freed Pearl."_

_"I'm happy to hear that," Katherine said. "Do you know where I can find her? I'd like to meet her and say hello."_

_"No, I'm sorry. I have no idea," he answered in the negative. And even if he had known he wouldn't have told her._

_"Oh, that's too bad."_

_Damon wanted nothing more than to leave, now but he had to say goodbye to her first and therefore he had to bring the conversation to an end. "Yeah, well, Pearl told me you escaped the hunt back then and I wanted to see if it was true with my own eyes," he concluded._

_"Yes, I was lucky," she said smiling again. "The guard was very kind."_

_You made him be kind, he corrected her in his thoughts._

_"I see." Literally. "Well, that's everything I came here for," he told her. "I need to be going, now."_

_"I see," she said. Was there a touch of disappointment in her voice? "May I ask you who sent you?"_

She's playing me!_ he thought furiously. After all she'd done and hurt him by she was playing him again!_

_"_I_ did," he answered, not hiding his anger anymore and before it could get worse he decided to leave. "Goodbye, Kath."

* * *

_

Damon and Elena were still settling on the bed. Damon's eyes that held so many emotions in this moment were closed. He had already been weak enough tonight. He had shown Elena a side of him no one had ever seen. He was calm on the outside but while he had told her everything his voice must have broken a couple of times.

He expected Elena to say something. She listened attentively to his story without interrupting him once and now she was silent. It was nearly driving him insane not to know what she was thinking. He opened his mouth to ask her about it when –

"Bitch!"

Damon's eyes shot open. He settled himself into a sitting position and stared at Elena.

"What?"

"Well, I'm sorry," Elena said but quickly corrected herself. "Wait, no, I'm not. She's a bitch."

"Take it back!" Damon growled.

"Why? You just told me she'd been playing you over the years not once respecting your feelings–"

"I know," Damon cut her short. "But I don't want you to call her that."

"Don't tell me you're okay with what she did!" Elena flared up. "She played you, Damon! She didn't care about you! She hurt you so much!"

"Yes but still," he insisted. "Still I can't hate her. I could never do that."

"But still," Elena kept on trying to open his eyes so that he saw the truth. "She had no right to hurt you. You didn't deserve it."

As much as her words made him happy, he just couldn't hate Katherine for what she did. Maybe he was blind and foolish but he just couldn't. He just loved her too much. Maybe sometime if he would find another woman he'd want to spend eternity with that woman could heal his broken heart, make him be angry at Katherine and make him forget about her eventually. He very much hoped for this to happen, otherwise he would probably never get over her.

"Thanks for you concern," Damon said, trying no keep calm. "But how I think of her is my business not yours."

He knew his words sounded harsh. After all she only wanted to help him. But it was true. Katherine was none of her business… yet.

Elena had understood. He didn't care about her opinion. Stupid, lovesick idiot! How could he still love her after everything she'd done?! She hardly knew Katherine, only from Stefan and Damon's stories but she was suddenly despising her for what she had done to Damon. She better never came across this woman.

"I'll go to bed, now," Damon announced. "We'll leave at ten a.m."

Elena just nodded. Damon gave her a last look, then left the room. Elena got up, got some things out of her bag and entered the bathroom. She locked it and took a shower. It was a great relieve and opportunity to let her thoughts flow. Damon had finally opened up to someone, to none other than her. She knew how much it must have taken him to do it and how much trust was involved in it. She was grateful for it and didn't blame him anymore. Love was human feeling after all. How long had they been waiting for sign of humanity in Damon to show? Katherine however had done something Elena wouldn't forgive. Ever.

* * *

Oh well, don't kill me please! The thing about Katherine I actually think she'd really do that because she loves how men fall for her and doing that table dance thing she also meets people she can feed on later.

God, how disgusting. And how disgusting she was to Damon! Please don't hate me, now.

Somehow I let Elena feel what I felt even before this chapter. I've been hating her for hurting Damon since Fool Me Once. It must have taken control over me when I wrote this chapter.

In hope not to have lost a couple of readers...

Yours Asu


	8. What Have You Done!

_New chapter^^ Finally something's happening! _

_Thanks for the numerous reviews to the last chapter. I was so happy! Love ya!_

_Have fun!_

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**Chapter 8: What Have You Done?!**

At about ten in the morning Damon and Elena left the hotel and Florida. They didn't talk much just if it was inevitable. Elena didn't like the silence between them. She knew she'd pissed Damon off last night by telling him what to do but to ignore her completely? She hadn't expected that from him. Their trip had been so much fun. Why did it have to end this way? Why did she have to ask him about Katherine? He'd told her before he didn't want to talk about it. She shouldn't have pushed him… She was so looking forward to their return to Mystic Falls. Some space between them was absolutely necessary now. Maybe Damon would calm down after a few days and then they could hang out again which she was almost praying for because hanging out with him implied fun and distraction from everything that was bothering her… Stefan's absence… her relation to Katherine…

Elena quietly wished they hadn't chosen Florida as destination. The drive back to Mystic Falls didn't seem to end which was mostly due to the fact that she was awake this time. She was bored and tired and this silence was killing her every nerve! She reached for the button to turn on the radio and pressed it. Damon noticed it but kept on pursing his lips.

After hours and miles of driving the sky turned dark which meant they were finally approaching Mystic Falls. Soon they crossed the state border and Elena stretched herself. Finally, she thought.

Then something happened Elena couldn't have foreseen. A tall figure and a car suddenly appeared on the street and Damon slammed the brakes. Elena was lifted from her seat and pressed into the belt. The car stopped a few yards away from the figure.

"You okay?" Damon gasped with clear concern in his voice.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so," she panted and coughed.

"Takes slow breaths," he advised and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm fine," she assured him. Wow, she thought. It takes an almost car accident to make him talk to me again.

"Good. Listen, I'll go and see what his problem is," he told her. "I want you to lock the doors as soon as I'm out, just in case."

Elena nodded. "Be careful."

Damon got out of the car and Elena locked it immediately.

Closing up on him Damon had a better view of the man. As he had seen before, he was tall, at least six feet two and very thin. The coat he was wearing was tightly wrapped around his slender waist and he was wearing an old-fashioned hat from the 1800s.

"Can I help you, sir?" Damon asked politely. Somehow he thought he knew the man. He reminded him of someone from his very old past. And he was wondering, was the person in front of him a vampire or not?

"Oh yes, thank you for stopping!" the stranger said excitedly. "It's the car. It don't know what's wrong. It just won't start."

"Let me take a look at it," Damon offered and opened the engine hood.

"Thank you, sir!"

Damon examined the engine but didn't find anything. Everything was in order. He turned to the man.

"Well, I can't find – Aaaargh!"

Suddenly the "man" held a stake in his hand and drove it into Damon's torso. Damon cried out in agony and fell to the ground, clutching the stake with a painful expression on his face.

"Sorry." The vampire shrugged. "It's special. Can't be pulled out by a vampire."

Damon roared in anger and pain.

Elena watched all of this shocked from inside the car and was about to get out to Damon when suddenly the glass of the passenger's side's window broke and two hands clutched her neck, tilting her chin up. Elena turned her head to see a vampire girl with bloodshot eyes whose face was getting dangerously close to her neck. Elena screamed and tried to shove her away but was too weak.

"Elena!" Damon shouted. "Glove compartment! Hurry!"

The gloves compartment? What was he trying to tell her? Her hands fiddled with the lock of the compartment. As she was scared he hands were trembling, making it difficult to open it but then she managed to do it and revealed two stakes. Elena didn't hesitate, grabbed one and drove it into the vampire girl's heart just when she felt her lips on her neck. The vampire didn't cry, just fell silently to the ground. Elena opened the locks and got out of the car on the driver's side and went towards Damon and the other vampire who had turned his back on her.

Which was just perfect because he hadn't watched his fellow vampire die thanks to Damon who had started some small talk with him.

"You haven't changed a bit, Leonardo," Damon observed.

"Of course not," Leonardo chuckled. "We're vampires. We don't age."

"How'd you get out of the tomb?" Damon demanded.

"Oh, it was easy. We were lucky. Someone left a beg of fresh human blood. The smell awakened me and I grabbed it and drank the blood. It made me strong enough to leave the tomb, favorably at night."

Damn! Damon thought. "His carelessness had helped the vampires to escape. He groaned in pain and frustration, closing his eyes for a moment. And when he opened them again he saw Elena approach.

"Elena, don't!" he shouted.

Leonardo turned around to Elena. A wide grin spread across his face.

"You really want to die, don't you," he chuckled. "If that's so, I'll gladly fulfill your wish!"

He leapt at Elena, bearing his fangs. Damon watched it horrified.

"NOOO!"

In a swift moment Elena took a stake out of her pocket and drove it straight into Leonardo's heart. Leonardo cried out in agony, fell to the ground and died. Damon stared half impressed half shocked at Elena.

"Ahh, don't give me a heart attack!" he groaned and lay back on the ground.

"Sorry," Elena apologized and knelt down beside him, touching the stake in his torso. "This looks painful."

"Yeah, thanks, doctor," Damon muttered and when Elena put her hand around the stake to pull it out he added "Be careful."

"Shut up," she told him and pulled the stake out.

"Aaaargh!"

"Oh, boy, relax, it's out."

Damon looked at his injury and sighed in relief. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Elena got up and pulled him to his feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, now," replied. "Come on, let's get in the car."

They ran back to the car and got in. Damon started the engine and hit the gas pedal.

"I've kept something from you," he admitted now.

"And that is?"

"You'll see."

Fifteen minutes later they were standing in front of the tomb in which the vampires were buried or rather had been buried. The tomb was open, the seal broken and the vampires missing. Damon cursed. Elena was shocked.

"I don't understand. Who opened it?" she inquired.

"They did it themselves from inside. Come on, it's not safe for you to be here," he stated and dragged her along.

They went to the Salvatore manor where Damon started to explain.

"You're kidding me, right?!" Elena flared up. "You're telling me there are 27 vampires on the loose because you accidentally forgot a bag of blood in there?!"

"26," he corrected her. "Kath wasn't inside, remember?"

Elena let out a cry of frustration, took a book from the shelf and hurled it at him. "How can you think of _her_ now?"

"Whoa!" Damon ducked to avoid getting hit and the book hit the window behind him instead. "Be careful, that's antique! Any by the way you've already killed two. So there are only 24 left, probably less. Mystic Falls is not really attractive to vampires."

Elena shook her head in disbelief.

"It's half as bad." Elena glared at him. "No, really." He took one of the stakes they had brought along and held it out for her to take. "Wanna prove yourself as a hunter?" he asked smugly.

Elena stared at him. "What?"

"Well, I'm definitely not going to exterminate my own species," he explained. "And you're half a Gilbert because you were brought up by them. So what's the deal, Van Gilbert?" he asked, giving her a cocky smile. "You really impressed me out there," he added sweetly.

Elena looked at the stake for a moment than took it. "Fine, whatever."

"Yes!" Damon exclaimed happily, then flinched and held his torso with a painful expression.

"Damon, what's wrong with you?!" Elena demanded and came closer.

"Nothing. I'm fine," he groaned, not sounding very convincing.

"Don't pretend to be the strong guy. Let me see," she demanded and took a look at the point of his body where the stake had pierced him. The injury was still there and bleeding although the stake was out.

"This looks terrible. Shouldn't have healed by now?" she wondered.

"It's probably just some splitters," he assumed.

Elena didn't hesitate. "Where can I find tweezers?" she inquired.

"In the cupboard in the bathroom but don't bother. It's nothing," he told her reassuringly.

"It's bleeding, Damon," she reminded him. "And I can see you're in pain. So, take off your shirt. I'll be right back." He gave her a look. "So that I can treat your wound," added, rolling her eyes.

She turned her back on him and ran upstairs into the bathroom. She pulled out the shelves and found the tweezers. Together with them and a bottle of disinfectant spray she hurried back into the parlor, satisfied to see Damon lying on the sofa with his shirt unbuttoned.

"Good boy," she said, smiling and knelt down beside him. "I'll warn you. It's cold."

He smirked. Elena smiled to herself and started to treat him. She sprayed some disinfectant on the injury and was not all too surprised when Damon flinched. "I warned you," she chuckled.

"Just do it already," he said irritated.

She grinned and started to pull out each and every splitter she could find. In the end when she was done Damon's skin healed. Elena smiled and Damon was feeling better at once. He examined his belly and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied and got up from the floor.

Damon got up, too and buttoned his shirt while glancing at the old grandfather's clock in the corner of the room. It was a quarter to eleven.

"I guess you want to go home now," he presumed.

"Yes, Aunt Jenna's probably already waiting for me."

He nodded and put on his jacket. "I'll drive you. Not only because I picked you up Friday night."

The drive to Elena's home was silent. Elena was thinking about what she had just found out. That there were approximately two dozens of vampires lurking in Mystic Falls. We shouldn't have left, she thought. We should've stayed here and protected everyone.

"Why'd you go on this trip with me? It was careless, wasn't it?" she accused Damon. "We should've stayed here and protected everyone."

Damon sighed and turned his head to look at her. "Stefan told me to take care of you and to protect you while he's gone. That's why I decided to go on this trip with you. But I swear I didn't know about the break out and neither did Stefan. When I returned to Mystic Falls two days ago I thought the presence I felt belonged to Anna and Pearl. Obviously I was wrong. I'm sorry. If I'd known about this earlier we definitely wouldn't have left town."

His eyes were fixing her as if they were begging her to believe him. Elena sighed in exhaustion. She reminded herself that Damon had never lied to her but had always been frank with her. So she believed him this time, too.

"Fine, I believe you," she said and reached for the door handle.

"Tell your aunt and your brother to let nobody inside the house," he ordered. "Neither at daytime nor at night."

"I will," she promised. "I'll see you around."

She opened the door and got out. She ran to the door of her house and got inside without looking back once. Inside she locked the door and every window in the house.

"Aunt Jenna? Jeremy? I'm home."

"We're in the living room!" they called back.

Elena entered the living room and found them sitting on the couch and watching TV.

"Welcome home," Jenna greeted her. "Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yeah, it was fun," Elena answered. "Listen, don't let anyone inside the house. I'm serious, Damon and I just met someone outside on the road. I think we're being watched.

"Being watched by whom?" Jeremy demanded.

The question isn't who but how many, Elena thought.

"I don't know. Just don't let anyone in. Neither at daytime nor at night."

"Okay, we got it. Calm down, Elena," Jenna said.

"You didn't order pizza or something, Jeremy?" Elena inquired.

"No."

"And you, Aunt Jenna? No overnight express delivery?"

"No."

"Good," Elena said. "Good. I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted. Good night."

She left the living room not watching Jeremy and Jenna exchanging questioning looks, and went upstairs. She opened her bedroom door and startled. Damon was lying comfortably on her bed.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she gasped.

"Good. Now we're even." He grinned.

"It's not funny," she said and closed the door.

"I checked the vicinity. You're almost vampire-free. I thought you'd like to know that before you go to sleep."

"Almost?" she repeated suspiciously.

"Well, one is just enjoying the comfort of your cuddly bed," he answered and gave her a cocky smile.

Elena exhaled in relieve. "Not for long," she replied. "Get off. Get out."

"Elena, don't be so harsh to me after all we've been through," hw hined, clutching his heart dramatically.

"Van Gilbert is tired, Damon. There's only so much I can take. Please go. I need some rest," she explained.

"Okay."

He got off her bed and came closer to her. Elena stared at him. What was he up to?

"Don't tell me you're hungry."

Damon groaned. "Damn, Elena, you really know how to crash a moment. And FYI I am _not_ hungry. I was going to tell you that I'm really proud of you. For what you did on the road."

Elena smiled. "Thank you. I've something to tell you, too."

"Go ahead."

"Thanks for the fabulous weekend," she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "And now go," she added and shoved Damon who was quite surprised by her gesture to the window. "Good night, Damon."

"Good night, Elena," he said and hopped outside.

Elena watched him get into the car and drive away, smiling widely.

An hour after Damon had returned home the doorbell rang. Wondering who might be visiting him so late at night he opened the door to find Sheriff Forbes.

"Sheriff," he said surprised.

"Good evening, Mr Salvatore," she said. "Hope you don't mind men bothering you so late at night."

"No, of course not. Come in, please." He stepped back so she could enter.

"I saw your car parked outside while I was patrolling."

"Yeah, I just got back. Did anything happen?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, definitely," the sheriff confirmed. "There was a time in which they were no attacks by vampires. But for a month now we have been finding bloodshed bodies again. More than last time."

"That's bad," Damon said and pretended to be shocked.

"Yeah. So, I came here to ask for help," the sheriff explained. "We won't stand up to them alone. You've proved to be reliable and effective before. We need your assistance in the exterminating them."

"We're already on it," Damon told her.

"We?"

"Yeah… me and… Stefan."

"Oh, you talked him into it? Good, we need every help we can get," she said.

"We're doing everything we can," Damon assured her.

"Thanks. Okay, that's everything. Have a good night, Damon."

"You too, Sheriff."

He walked her to the door and closed it. He leaned on it and sighed deeply.


	9. Hanging By A Moment

_I'm back! Sorry that it took me so long to update this fic! I was at the books fair in Leipzig, Germany but I'd preferred to stay at home and write because the fair was nothing like I imagined her to be. Everything went wrong. At least I had some time to write on the long train journeys there. 5 hours per journey resulted in two new chapters. One is already finished, the other one just needs to be completely and will follow within 24 hours I think. It's not much. As the title says just some Damon and Elena moments and the next chapter won't be very exciting either but the one after that, I promise! I try to upload a chapter every day before the weekend. The TV series continues soon and I want to stick to the plot. I'll include the whole Elena - Isabel- Alaric story in it, and Jeremy finding out about vampires and Jonathan Gilberts sursprising appearance as well. One thing after the other. Until then, just hang by a moment and enjoy Damon and Elena together!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Hanging By A Moment**

_Dear Diary,_

_it's been some time since my last entry. So much has happened in only two days that I had to accept and think through. _

_I think Damon and I bonded a little more during our trip to Florida. I really enjoyed hanging out with him and I dare say he enjoyed being with me, too. Last weekend he showed me a completely different side of him he didn't show before. It's hard to believe but he actually has a soft side. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside describes him perfectly. He took me to Disneyworld and Sea World and had a sunset walk with me… in short he did everything that makes a girl happy and elated. Now, I don't know why he did it. He had this 'Just felt like' thing going on but is that it? Or might it be more than that? Might he actually like me?_

_Ah, I'm drifting…_

_Well, the weekend wasn't always juicy. The idiot in me practically had to ask him about Katherine and forced him to go through some painful experience again. When he finished telling me what happened I could clearly see that he was hurting. I wanted to give him comfort like I did in the woods back then but my anger toward Katherine took control of me. I said some pretty nasty things about her and got into a fight with Damon who's obviously still in love with her. Too much to let go of her anytime soon. But I can't help him with that. He has to see for himself that Katherine isn't worth it to remember or even love her. I hope he will someday…_

_Another thing that's been bothering me is my resemblance to Katherine. I inquired Damon about that too but he made it pretty clear that he knows the connection but would rather die to tell me. No pun intended. And I wonder why? Is it so bad for me to know? Why? If it's really that bad then why does no one tell me and comfort me at the same time? I'm 17, soon coming of age. Shouldn't it be my decision whether or not I want to find it out? I'll definitely ask Damon again or Stefan if he ever comes back because Damon kind of told me he wouldn't return all too soon…_

_Oh and by the way there are two dozens of vampires in Mystic Falls. All previously trapped in the tomb and now on the loose thanks to Damon who forgot to take the bag of blood he'd brought for Katherine with him again. One vampire must have snatched and emptied it, becoming strong enough to open the tomb from the inside. I just wonder why the seal didn't stop him but I guess it's no longer working because of Grandma Bennett's death. _

_Great. And now Damon wants me to play Van Helsing and kill each and every one of those monsters just because I had a good shot at two of them which was more a lucky reflex than talent but I'll have to do it because Damon refuses to kill his own species. _

_So Lexi didn't belong to his species? Go figure…_

_I guess I don't have much of a choice. If I don't do anything no one will. At least I can count on Damon to protect me. It's the least he can do. And I have a hunch that from now on he will perform this task with great responsibility, reliability and to uttermost satisfaction. He'd better he would. The expression on his face he had when he thought the vampire got me was telling…_

_Well, Van Gilbert will go to bed now, regaining strength to hunt for good marks at school tomorrow._

* * *

Elena closed her diary and put it aside. Then she reached for the lamp on her bedside table and turned it off. Soon after that she was asleep.

Some minutes later someone invaded her room through the open window. It was Damon. He looked around to find Elena sleeping soundly. He smiled, walked over to her and pulled up the blanket to her chin.

'Sweet dreams, Elena,' he whispered.

Then he turned around and left. He had come to see if some other vampire had chosen the Gilberts for food and was lurking in front of their house, waiting for one of them to step out. There was no such vampire to Damon's relief. There had never been one for the last three days he had checked.

There was another reason he came every night to look after Elena. After their trip they hadn't met again. He assumed that Elena wanted some space to digest everything she had learnt but even if he granted her that space it didn't mean he had to stay away from her. So he was watching her. On her way to school and back, everytime she left the house he was following her. Like a stalker but only to make sure she was safe.

He was also looking forward to talking to her again which he would sooner than she might expect it. They couldn't avoid each other forever and at the weekend at the latest he would go hunting with her. Besides, they were friends, weren't they? And that friendship meant a lot to him. So did Elena. She was giving him something of such great amount that he could hardly give back. Trust. That was why he had gone on that trip with her and wanted her to be as happy as possible. It had been his way to say thanks and give her something back.

And they'd come back and – boom – gotten attacked by vampires who should have been safely trapped in the tomb. It'd been stupid and careless to smash the bag of blood against the wall. There was no excuse for his foolishness not even his temporary distraction at that time. It was his fault that Mystic Falls was facing 'animal attacks' again, that Sheriff Forbes and the Council had to become active in dealing with it. Damon was supplying them with verveine and had to talk more often to the sheriff than he would have preferred. Sheriff Forbes was very fond of him for his assistance in the past and counting on him to continue his services to her satisfaction. Damon was constantly assuring her that the problem was being taken care. At some point he had even said too much. Talking to the sheriff he had said 'We're on it' and regretted it at once as his statement left a lot room for questions like 'Who is we?' and 'How do you do it?' His usual answers were 'Me and my brother Stefan' and 'Oh, you know, stake and things like that'. However he was bathing in undeserved glory because he hadn't moved a finger since Sunday. He had passed this task to Elena who definitely wasn't going to hunt during the week with school in the morning which he understood perfectly. And what did he care about people. As long as there weren't people he or Elena knew were concerned he couldn't care less. But Friday night she would rid Mystic Falls of some vampires. Until then the remaining two days she could do whatever she wanted and he could, too.

* * *

Thursday morning at nine Elena had lots of things on her mind and not even one of them involved Damon. From Monday on she had been working on her strained friendship with Bonnie and Caroline. Convincing them of that Damon didn't mean more to her than they did was so much easier without having him around.

'Elena, are you free for the weekend? Matt and I are celebrating our two months anniversary,' Caroline announced.

'Sure. I'll be there,' Elena promised. Forgotten was her vampire-hunting-duty. 'I'm really happy for you guys,' she added. 'Matt deserves some happiness after everything he's been through.'

'I'm doing my best to keep him entertained,' Caroline replied smiling.

They kept talking about the little party, typical girl stuff like what they would be wearing when two random girls' talk brought them back to the present.

'Did you listen to the news this morning? Someone was attacked again!'

'Another animal attack? How many people have died so far? Five?'

'Six so far.'

Bonnie and Caroline exchanged a look with Elena.

'By the way, how's our psychopath doing?' Caroline asked.

'I know what you think,' Elena said. 'But it's not Damon.'

'How can you be sure?'

'I saw them.'

'_Them_?' Bonnie repeated appalled.

'Yeah, plural. We don't know how many yet,' Elena explained. And now she remembered her agreement with Damon. That she would have to kill those monsters.

'But where do they keep coming from?' Bonnie inquired.

Elena held Bonnie's gaze for moment, silently communicating the right answer to her before she gave a wrong one.

'We don't know.'

Bonnie seemed to have understood. She looked pale. Elena was worried about her. She still wasn't stable, still affected by her grandmother's death.

'We're taking care of it, Damon and I,' Elena added.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'We'll hunt and kill them.'

'Are you out of your mind?' Bonnie exclaimed shocked. 'Don't you know how dangerous it is?'

'I'm not alone. Damon's with me,' Elena reminded her.

'Yeah, Damon. Like you can trust him,' Caroline muttered.

'I do trust him,' Elena pointed out. 'He's saved my life before and I'm sure he'll protect me.'

'Speaking of the devil,' Caroline said now. 'Look who's flirting with the school secretary.'

Elena turned her head to school office down the hall. Someone was talking to the secretary. She recognized the expensive leather jacket even from the distance. _He isn't flirting with her_, she thought. He was leaning in close, probably holding the secretary's gaze. _He's compelling her. _

'He's probably doing some research you know? Checking for new students who could be vampires,' she explained but somehow she thought there was more behind it.

* * *

'Elena Gilbert,' Damon said, pronouncing every syllable extra clearly. 'I'd like to know where I can find her now,' he declared.

'I'm sorry, I cannot share this information with you if you're not the police. You know, data security,' the secretary apologized.

'Miss,' Damon said, strain in his voice and a smile on his face as he put his sunglasses down and fixed her. 'You know what you'll do now?'

'No…?'

'You'll run a scan on Elena Gilbert in your system, tell me the name of her class and print out her timetable and give it to me.'

'You know what?' the secretary now said. 'I'll run a quick scan on her in the system. What was name again?'

'Elena Gilbert.'

'What is it that you can't ask me but have to compel the secretary for?' an angry voice came from behind. Damon flinched and turned around to see Elena standing there, her arms crossed and looking sternly at him.

'Hey, Elena. How are you, honey?' he asked, giving her a so not sincere smile.

'I'm fine. Thank you. What are you doing here?' she demanded.

'Me? Oh, nothing just some research you know?' He waved it off.

Elena shot him a uh-huh-and-what-are-you-really-doing look. But just when she was going to ask him the secretary interrupted.

'Here you go. It's all on the sheet,' she said and handed the sheet to Damon.

'Thank you, Miss,' he said sweetly then turned back to Elena. 'Look, it was nice to chat with you but I gotta go. Sorry, hun. See you.'

'Yeah, you, too… And stop calling me honey!' she shouted after him when he left the office, unable to see the wide grin that his lips formed.

* * *

In the hall he passed Bonnie and Caroline by.

'Ladies,' he greeted them cockily before he resumed walking.

'We'll he's charming. You gotta give him credit for that,' Caroline said. Bonnie kicked her leg. 'Ow!'

'He's only charming if he wants something from you,' Elena muttered, rejoining them. That was of course not entirely true. Damon had shown her that he could be different without any ulterior motive but she would keep statistics before judging him.

'Hey, what time is it?' Bonnie now asked worriedly.

'Ten minutes after History started,' Caroline told them, looking at her cell phone. 'What are you waiting for? Get going!'

They hurried to the classroom. The new history teacher was already there when they arrived, taking down their delay in his notebook. Elena watched him disapprovingly and sat down. She opened her bag to take her stuff out when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and was surprised to see Damon sitting there where Stefan used to.

'Hey, Elena, long time no see.' He smirked.

'What are you doing here, Damon?' she hissed before she realized. 'You enrolled at high school again?'

'I was bored.'

'You were _bored_?' she repeated incredulously.

'Yeah. Hanging out at home waiting for you to return from school in the afternoon was boring,' he explained.

'Why do you want to wait for me anyway?' she demanded suspiciously.

'I thought that was obvious,' he replied matter-of-factly.

Elena opened her mouth to demand an answer from him when the teacher told the class to shut up and listen. Reluctantly Elena turned around to the front. Her peace and quiet didn't last for long. Soon after she had turned away from Damon she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out, hiding it under the desk and glanced at the display. She received a text message.

_I hope you're free on the weekend, hun_

Elena stifled a groan and started texting back.

_How'd you get me number, jerk_

Behind her she could hear Damon chuckle.

_Stefan_**,** was all he texted and Elena sighed. She could have expected Damon to take Stefan's phone and copy her number into his own. A minute later she received another message.

_I hope you didn't forget our little date. I hope you don't mind that I chose the weekend for it._

Of course she did mind. She had just told Caroline she'd be at her party and that was what she told him now.

_That's __unfortunate_, Damon answered. _But you might want to reconsider your plans with so many vampires around. Did you read the paper? 6 attacks by now. You gotta take care of it, hun._

Declaring her to Van Gilbert was one thing, ruining her weekend by giving her a guity conscience was something else entirely.

She started to text him back when an angry voice called her name.

'Miss Gilbert, please hand me your phone.'

Elena looked up into the face of her new history teacher who was standing just in front of her.

Shoot, Elena thought and handed her teacher the phone.

'Thank you,' he said. 'You can have it back at the end of my class when we'll have a little chit-chat about your behavior in my class.'

Elena pulled a face. She crossed her arms and forced herself to follow her teacher's historical sermon. Then after some minutes Damon tapped her on the shoulder again. She casually turned around and grabbed the piece of paper he was holding out for her to take. She unfolded it and read it.

_Elena, Elena, Elena. Always getting yourself in trouble. Who told you to text me back?_

Behind her she could hear Damon sneer. Elena took a deep breath, then as calmly as possible screwed up Damon's message. No she wouldn't let him get to her. She wouldn't…

* * *

'_Damon_!!!'

History class was over and Elena had had a friendly talk with her teacher who gave it to her short and bluntly.

_You suck at history._

Somehow that guy reminded her of Mr. Tanner and she wished Saltzman would still be there.

Furious Elena had gone search for Damon during her lunch period and found him by the snack machine, taking out a TWIX.

'Hey honey, did you enjoy history?'

She shoved him. 'No, I did not. Why do you always have to get on my nerves? Leave me the hell alone! I don't want to see you before Friday night!'

'That's tomorrow, by the way,' he reminded her.

'Tomorrow then. Mind my words or I'll really get angry,' she snapped and turned around to leave but Damon grabbed her arm and stopped her. 'What?'

'Oh, come on, Elena. Don't be so uptight. We haven't talked to each other for days.'

'So what? Do I _have to_ talk to you?' she demanded.

'No but–'

'But what? Did Stefan tell you not only to watch over me but to talk to me, too?'

'You're pissed. I get it,' he replied. 'Still about the tomb thing.'

'No!' she shouted. 'Stop reading my mind! Okay, so maybe I am pissed about that. About having to cleaning up after you.'

If Damon was hurt by that he hid it well because his expression never changed.

'It's okay to be scared,' he told her.

'I am not scared!' she spat. 'Just pissed! Just go. Please,' she added emphatically.

For a moment you could see pain flicker through Damon's eyes but then his gaze returned to normal.

'I can't,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I've got school. I cannot leave before 4 a.m. but if it's what you really want I'll leave you alone then.'

'It's what I want,' she confirmed and turned around to leave.

Damon watched her walk away, part of him wanting to just keep on keeping her company, part of him accepting that she rejected him.

* * *

The following classes Damon did not address Elena again. He granted her the space she requested but he didn't stop watching her. In Math, Biology and PE. He could feel Elena's discomfort in PE. As she had quit cheerleading she had been forced to take another PE class and picked volleyball. However she wasn't very good at it, either, practically embarrassing herself in front of her class mates and Damon who had casually picked each and every class Elena had signed up for. And as if it wasn't already bad enough, Damon was in Elena's team.

'Stand behind me!' he ordered her when she missed another ball.

'No!' she refused out of breath and leapt forward to hit the ball over the line. 'Trust me,' he insisted. 'You'll thank me for it.'

Elena glared at him but did as she was told. She stepped back behind Damon, from now on catching and hitting every ball that approached her and she realized. Back row was just fine for while front row definitely wasn't. And at the end of PE she knew she had to say thanks to Damon.

'Thank you,' she said completely sincerely on their way to the changing rooms. He gave her one of his smugly smiles that were saying 'Told ya so.' Elena smiled back before entering the girls changing room.

* * *

PE was their last class, ending at exactly 4 p.m. Damon walked over to his car, not once looking at Elena. As agreed before they would part at 4 p.m. However little did he know that Elena had changed her mind. So he was surprised when she followed him to his Mustang. But of course he felt her presence closing up on him. So he turned around to her fast, smiling smugly when he startled her.

'Yes, Elena?'

'Um, I was wondering if maybe…'

'Yes?'

'Maybe you could give me a ride? My car broke down the other day,' she added explanatorily.

'Why don't you ask Bonnie or Caroline?' he suggested.

'Matt picked Caroline up and Bonnie…'

'Oh, let me guess,' he offered. 'She was already gone before you could ask her?'

'Yeah, something like that,' she said, trying to withstand his penetrating Uh-huh look. 'Okay,' she gave in eventually. 'So maybe I wanted to apologize for being a bitch earlier.'

'Bitch is far too harmless to describe your behavior earlier.' Elena smacked his arm and he grinned. 'Just kidding. Hop in. I'll take you home.'

Elena smiled in relieve and gratefully got into the car. Damon did, too, and directed his Mustang out of the parking lot of Mystic Falls Highschool.

'So,' he began.

'So?'

'So you know I haven't accepted your apology yet,' he let her know.

'Excuse me?' she said indignantly. 'What involves a Damon-worth apology, please?'

'Oh, it's actually pretty simply,' he told her. 'Just come over tomorrow night to fulfill your duty.'

'That's it?' she asked half-laughing. 'It seems to be very important to you that we go kill those vampires.'

'It is,' he confirmed. 'I can't let the town become all too aware of vampires. If they would I would have to leave and I think it's in your interest, too, that I stay.'

'Is that so?' she said.

'You tell me,' he replied and grinned.


	10. Partying And Hunting With A Vampire

_I know I'm late a day. I was gonna upload this yesterday but my Internet connection totally bailed on me -.- Well, it's on now and I hope you like it!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Partying And Hunting With A Vampire**

As promised Elena came over to the Salvatore manor on Friday night, bracing herself for the task that awaited her and the danger that came with it. Her hunting vampires, who could have ever foreseen that? In any case not her. But here she was entering the Salvatore manor at eight p.m.

'Damon? It's me, Elena!' she called out and didn't even flinch when Damon using super-human-speed was standing next to her the next second after.

'Hey, Elena,' he said. 'Nice of you to drop by.'

Elena noticed at once that he was lacking his usual cocky smile. His face was expressionless almost sad.

'Yeah, sure. I've gotta protect this town, right?' she replied trying to sound all eager to get down to work.

'I'm not coming along,' he announced now. 'I'm staying here. I'm kinda busy.'

He left her with that and entered the parlor, taking a seat on the sofa and hiding his face behind something that looked like an album. Elena followed him confused.

'What? You're kidding me, right?' she snapped. He couldn't be serious. All the time he had pushed her into doing this and now he was just gonna bail because he was _busy_.

'No, I'm not. I'm serious.'

At this point Elena couldn't hold it anymore.

'Yesterday you bugged me all the time to come and do this. I thought this is important to you! And I thought you'd accompany and watch over me!'

'Sorry, no can do.'

'Damon!' He ignored her continuing to study the album. 'What is it that you're busy with?'

'Come and see.' He patted the place beside him on the sofa. Slowly, still not believing what was happening she went to the sofa and sat down beside him, glancing at whatever Damon was holding and looking at. He caught her gaze and turned the large book around so that Elena could take a look at it. It was indeed a photo album full of pictures of the Salvatore family. They should a rather plump man with his two sons, one little bit taller than the other and with darker hair and a beautiful, blond, slender woman. Giuseppe Salvatore, his wife and his children, Damon and Stefan. All of them looked very happy. Elena turned some pages to see more photographs and portraits of them, eventually lingering on a picture of Mrs. Salvatore.

'Your mum was beautiful.' She just had to say it.

'Yes, she was,' Damon said and smiled ghosted across his face.

'What was her name?'

'Celia. It means 'heaven' in Italian.'

'It's a beautiful name.'

'Yeah. Everything was beautiful about her,' Damon said with audible sadness in his voice. Elena didn't miss his gloomy mood.

'May I ask how she died?' Elena asked carefully.

Damon closed his eyes for a moment as if he was in pain and Elena immediately regretted having asked him. 'I'm sorry. I didn't want–'

'She was fatally ill. Got struck with the pest,' Damon told her. 'She died home in Florence. Her death gave our father a reason to immigrate to the U.S.'

'I see.' She looked at some more pictures. 'So this is what you're busy with. Refreshing memories.'

'Kind of,' Damon muttered, watching her looking at the pictures.

'You were cute as children,' Elena said, almost mesmerized by little Stefan and Damon. Damon chuckled. 'You think?'

'Yeah.' She kept turning pages until she found a document that looked like a birth certificate and it was. Damon's birth certificate.

''Damon Salvatore. Born in Florence 4 November 1845',' Elena read aloud. 'Wait, 4 November? But that's today!'

Damon forced a grin.

'But why didn't say something?'

'It's no big deal.'

'Of course it is!' Elena contradicted. 'How old did you turn?'

'I turned 164.'

'So you're two years older than Stefan. 'Elena did the math. 'And what do you usually do on your birthdays?'

'Usually I hit a bar and let the bartender fill me up.'

'Oh, Damon.'

'What? I don't celebrate my birthdays anymore,' he told her.

'Why not?' Elena inquired.

'Why do?'

'You never know which one will be your last. That's why you have to celebrate each of them.'

'Elena, maybe you haven't noticed but I'm a vampire and as long as I feed on blood I won't die.'

'You're not invincible,' Elena reminded him. 'You can always… pass away. It only takes someone to drive a stake into your heart.'

'I'm not gonna let 'em,' he said in a sing-song voice.

'You so full of yourself.' She sighed.

'Anyway, what's your point, Elena?' Damon wanted to know.

'What involves a good party in your opinion?' She grinned at him mischievously and he, realizing what he was driving at, grinned back.

* * *

Half an hour later Damon's private birthday with two people was already going on. They'd turned on the music, prepared a little buffet with snacks and drinks and were enjoying themselves immensely while dancing and fooling around. Right now Oasis was playing in the CD player and Damon led Elena dancing through the house.

'For not wanting to celebrate your birthday you seem to actually enjoy it very much,' Elena observed pleased.

'I'm always in for a party,' he told her. 'And my parties always blast.'

He twirled her around. 'Because of my music. The wrong music can kill a party.'

'You really like the eighties, don't you?'

'I lov'em!' Damon exclaimed. 'The eighties were the best. You don't find that kind of music now-a-days on the radio. Depeche Mode, Oasis… the rest of the Rolling Stones era, Simply Red, Sting…'

'I get the picture.' Elena smiled. 'What else do you like in music?'

'The 70s were good, too, the 60s when the Stones and Beatles started becoming famous… and the 50s of course. Elvis really rocked. Wanna know my record of festivals? he asked.

'Sure.'

'My touring began in 1968 at Woodstock,' he started.

'Woodstock?!' Elena was amazed.

'Yup. It was great but the rain really sucked,' he said. 'I've also been to the King of Rock's first gig and each and every one that followed. I'm not sure but I think I've got a autograph of him somewhere.'

'Wow, you make every rocker look small.'

'I'm not finished. I got to Reading in good old England every year, and the other one I don't remember name of.'

'Like I said, you really can call yourself a rocker.' She laughed.

'Yes. But like I said,' he replied. 'The music isn't as good as back then.'

'What do you listen to now?' Elena inquired.

'Oh, too much to name them all. My favorites are 30 Seconds to Mars, Breaking Benjamin, Skillet…'

'So basically everything that rocks,' Elena summarized smiling.

'Oh not only. I also like the soft and slow ones if they're good. Like The Fray or The Calling… Damn, I even listen to Leona Lewis.' Elena grinned. 'But that's our little secret, okay?' he added putting a finger on his mouth.

'Okay.'

'Fine and now let's have fun!' Damon exclaimed and twirled her some more.

They kept it on until Elena felt slightly dizzy, then Damon changed the music with an evil grin. He had changed it to Tango and now he was holding out his hand to Elena.

'May I have this dance?' he asked cockily.

Elena hesitated for a moment but then took his hand and let him pull her close to him. They started dancing in accordance to the music with every passion the song held. Damon held her close to him like he was afraid to lose her and led her back and forth. Both enjoyed the dance despite how close they were to each other. While they were dancing none of them felt uncomfortable with it.

Then when Elena seemed to get exhausted, Damon led her dancing upstairs and dropped her on his bed. He took the remote control to his audio set and changed the music again, now to slow and gentle. He dropped the remote control and slumped on his bed beside Elena.

'Elena, Elena, Elena, you never cease to amaze me. You really are full of surprises,' he said.

'What do you mean?'

'Everything, the party, the dance…. I didn't think you could dance tango or salsa.'

Elena chuckled. 'I didn't either. In fact it was the first time I ever did.'

'You're kidding, right?' he asked incredulously.

'No, I'm serious. You're a good leader. I quickly picked up the steps and the rhythm.'

'You're a natural talent. Singing, dancing… If I discover one more I swear I'm gonna take you to Broadway even if I have to drag you there,' he said.

'God, stop it. I'm just a fast learner,' Elena waved it off.

They kept lying there without talking, just listening to the soft music coming from downstairs. At some point Tori Amos' Sorta Fairytale was playing.

'It's a nice a song,' Elena said.

'Mmm.'

And they both burst out laughing when they simultaneously remembered Elena's American Idol experience.

'Looks like it's haunting us, huh?' Elena mused aloud.

'Not if we don't want to,' Damon contradicted. 'Do you want me to skip to the next song?'

'No, let it play.'

The next song that was selected by the shuffle function was May I by Trading Yesterday.

'You listen to Trading Yesterday' That was more a statement than a question.

'Yeah, sometimes,' Damon admitted. 'Why? You like them?'

'Yeah, very,' Elena answered and closed her eyes.

'What else do you listen to?' Damon asked conversationally.

'Believe it or not but we have similar interests in music. I just don't like the hardcore stuff,' Elena replied. 'I like Trading Yesterday, Lifehouse, The Fray, Nickelback, Linkin' Park and even some songs from Breaking Benjamin.'

'No. Really? You and Breaking Benjamin?' Damon raised a brow.

'Yup. Surprised?'

'Rather shocked.' Elena chuckled. 'What else did you hide from me.'

'Deep inside I'm a vampire but I never told you,' Elena whispered.

'That was lame,' Damon commented.

'It was worth a try,' Elena shrugged. 'You don't need to know everything.'

'Hey, I saw your lingerie,' he reminded her. 'There's not much more left for me to find out about you.'

Elena smacked his arm and he smirked. 'You'd better forget this,' she threatened.

'Or what?'

'Or I will never celebrate your birthday with you again. Ever.'

'Ooo-hoo, you really mean it, don't you?' He chuckled. 'I'm sorry,' he said sweetly. 'I can't. It's in my head. I can't get it out.'

'You will!' Elena demanded. 'I'm not one of your one-night stand girls.'

'No, you're not. You talk too much,' Damon told her. 'Shut up and enjoy the peace and – well it's not really quiet with the music on.'

'I get your point. I agree. Let's just lay here and enjoy.'

One or two songs played till the end before Damon broke the silence between them.

'Elena?'

'Mmm.'

'Thank you. My 164th is the best birthday of my life.'

'Just wait after we celebrated your 165th,' Elena said grinning. 'Today is nothing compared to what I'll plan for next year.'

'You're gonna be there next year?' Damon asked.

'Definitely.'

'Then I'm looking forward to my birthday,' Damon said smiling. 'For the first time in 145 years.'

'You're welcome.'

'But Elena?'

'Yeah.'

'We'll definitely go hunting tomorrow night.'

'I was afraid you'd say that.'

And both of them shared another laugh.

* * *

The party ended late in the night and Elena called home to tell Jenna she would be staying at the Salvatore manor for the night, thrice assuring her that nothing would be happening and that she just had drunk too much to drive and sleep in the guest room. In the morning she went home to change and left again to go shopping with Caroline and Bonnie to make up for not attending the two-months-anniversary party. Caroline had been very mad at her for standing her up for Damon but calmed down when Elena promised to spend some time with her two friends on Saturday. And in the evening she rejoined with Damon who was already awaiting her with three stakes in his hand.

'Those for me?' she asked rhetorically.

'Yup. Here, take one and hide it behind your back again. I'll hide the other two in my jacket.'

He passed her the stake and Elena did as she was told.

'You ready?' he asked her.

'Yes.'

'Good. Let's go.'

'What's the plan?' Elena wanted to know, following Damon who was walking towards the open road.

'You just walk down the road, pretending your car broke down and you are lost and then you just kill them,' Damon explained.

'Great plan,' Elena muttered not convinced at all.

'I'm hiding and following you in case anything goes wrong,' Damon added. 'If it's any comfort to you?'

'It's a start,' Elena replied.

They were lucky with the time. There was hardly someone on the road at Saturday 10 p.m. The vampires must have been starving and would definitely lunge themselves at Elena. Good for the plan. Bad for Elena. But she didn't show Damon her fear. She wanted to be strong when he was there. Didn't want him to see her weak side. That was why she was probably feeling a little too sure on their hunt. She wasn't observant and therefore vulnerable. She was carrying out and sticking to Damon's plan and not expecting a sudden attack. That however was what happened.

Out of sudden a vampire lunged himself at her and in one swift movement pressed her to the ground.

'Aargh!'

'Get off of her bastard!'

Elena didn't feel the weight on her body anymore. Breathing hard she turned her head to the side to see Damon press the vampire to the ground and drive a stake through his heart. Elena closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. The adrenaline released by fear rushed through her veins. She was scared, had a shock.

'You okay?'

Damon's face came into her view. She opened her mouth to answer but no sound came out. Instead she straightened up quickly, threw her arms around Damon's neck and pressed herself close to him.

'I was so scared.'

'Hey, Elena, calm down. I'm here,' Damon said and soothingly rubbed her back. 'Take slow breaths. It's over.'

Elena took deep and slow breaths, trying to calm down.

'I'm – I'm sorry. I wasn't observant. I panicked,' she explained after a while.

'It's okay,' Damon assured her.

Elena slowly regained composure and became aware of how close she was to Damon. It made her feel uncomfortable. She wanted to let go of him quickly but that would be too obvious and embarrassing.

'Thanks. I'm okay,' she said now and let go of him. 'I'm sorry I forced you to become involved though you didn't want to.'

'No, it's okay. Actually, I should've expected this to happen,' Damon said. 'You need to be trained. Otherwise it won't work.'

'I'm better now. Let's try it again,' Elena suggested.

'Elena? Did you hear a word of what I just said? We won't try it again before I'm sure you are ready. Come on.' He got up and pulled her to her feet. 'I'll take you home.'

They started walking back to the Salvatore manor. Elena felt terrible. She could have done better. Damon probably thought she was coward. She could slap herself. In the end she embarrassed herself in front of Damon anyway. Their walk to the manor was silent and their drive to Elena's house, too. They only started talking again when Elena opened the door to get out.

'Yes, I'm fine. Thank you.'

'For what.'

'For being here,' she answered smiling. Damon looked at her puzzled. The impact of her words hit him with full might. Did she just say that she was actually glad that she was with her? 'Good night, Damon.'

'Good night, Elena. See you at school,' he said.

'Definitely,' she confirmed and slammed the door shut.

Damon watched her get safely into the house before he pulled out of the lot and drove home himself.


	11. Standing InBetween

_Hey! Thanks for all the nice and encouraging reviews! I'm always happy to read them! _

_Well, this chapter isn't as long as the others because I didn't want to squeeze to much plot into one chapter. Everything else I've planned will follow in the coming chapters. _

_I included something from 'A Few Good Men' in this chapter but not in its original form. The dialogue between Jenna and Alaric and how imagined it to be before I watched the recent episode. _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Standing In-Between**

The following days Damon and Elena met at school, not spending a single thought on their hunting sessions. Damon had promised to train Elena but he hadn't told her a specific time. Instead they were just spending their time talking about not-vampire-related things, interviewed and got to know each other better. Spending the breaks with Damon also ment a sacrifice and that was Elena's friendship with Bonnie and Caroline. The two girls obviously disapproved of Elena's friendship with Damon. Not only because they thought he was an evil bastard but also because they were missing out because of him in views of hanging out with Elena. They were missing Elena and reproaching her for ignoring and forgetting them and they were blaming Damon for it. What had happened that Elena and Damon had gotten so close over time, was what they were wondering desperately and they almost wished for Stefan to return because he at least had taken their feelings into regard whereas Damon didn't care at all. Every now and then they met Elena in the hall by the lockers alone but those were very rare occasions and when they did they barely talked to her. This morning however they deliberately addressed her.

'Good morning, Elena,' Caroline said emphatically.

'Good morning,' Elena greeted back smiling. 'How are you?'

'Oh, don't pretend to care,' Bonnie said pointedly.

'What? Of course I care. What's the matter with you?'

'Did you by any chance notice that we haven't talked to each other since like forever?' Caroline asked.

'Yeah, I did.' She looked at them questioningly. 'Why?'

'Can't you figure it out on your own?'

'Well, no. What's your problem?' Elena demanded.

'Our problem is your irritating accessory!' Bonnie stated and when Elena didn't understand at first she added 'Damon!'

'What about him?' Elena didn't understand at all.

'You've been spending more time with him than with us!' Caroline flared up. 'He's always with you!'

'Now I get it,' Elena said and almost laughed in relief. 'You're jealous.'

'No, we're not jealous!' Bonnie contradicted. 'We just can't understand why you're hanging out with him although you know what a terrible monster he is! A monster who doesn't give a damn about other people and their feelings!'

'Bonnie, if you're talking about your Grams, you need to let it go.'

'I can't!' she shouted. 'I'll never be able to forget it and I don't want to, either! I can't believe i! First Grams, now you. I'm losing everyone because of him!'

'I'll stick with you, Bonnie,' Caroline said soothingly rubbing Bonnie's arm.

Elena felt helpless. She hadn't expected such an outburst from her friends. She hadn't noticed that hanging out with Damon was hurting them so much.

'You're not losing me,' she promised. 'You still mean much more to me than Damon and you should never doubt it!'

'Well, right now, I find it hard to believe you with him walking straight towards you,' Caroline said coldly, looking past Elena to see Damon walking up to them. 'Call us when you got rid of your accessory.'

She gave Elena one last despiteful look before she left, dragging Bonnie along. Elena stared after them, speechless. She felt awful. Her friends had made clear that they believed that she preferred Damon's company over theirs. But she thought differently. Damon could never replace her friends. How could she convince them of that?

'Morning. Did something happen? You look down.' Damon had reached her and looked at her worryingly.

'Don't pretend you didn't listen,' Elena snapped irritated. 'This is entirely your fault! If you wouldn't bother me at school everything would be fine but you even have to irritate me here. Just go and leave me alone. Call me when you have work for me.'

And with that left him all alone by the lockers.

* * *

Elena hurried down the hall into the lunchroom, looking for her friends. She was extremely mad at Damon. He always stepped between her and her friends. She had thought she could keep both friendships intact but it was obviously impossible and if she really had to choose she would rather choose her long-term friends over her recently-found friendship with Damon.

As expected she found Bonnie and Caroline in the lunchroom. She walked over to their table, nearly exploding in anger.

'What are you doing, Elena?'

'I'm proving a point. I hope you're happy with it,' she broke it to them.

'Hey, where's your accessory?'

'That's the point I'm trying to prove!' Elena said angrily. 'I made him leave. You mean so much more to me than he does!'

'You don't seem very happy about it,' Bonnie observed. 'Are you falling for him?'

'No! I'm not! I'm in love with Stefan as you know well!'

'If you're not attracted to him then why do you hang out with him?' Caroline inquired.

Elena sighed and sat down opposite them. 'He isn't the monster that you imagine him to be. He's different. He's changed.'

'Did you change him?'

'No, he did it all by himself. I think it's because of the whole Katherine story. It took him down, lowered his ego,' Elena explained. 'I've spent enough time with him to be able to judge him. I saw another side of him. He can be different.'

'You still haven't told us why you're hanging out with him.'

Elena sighed again. 'Because he's been a great support for me these days. Remember when I holed myself up in my room after Stefan left? If it weren't for Damon I'd still be that miserable.' She fumbled on her bracelets while she spoke. 'I know Damon cannot replace Stefan and I don't want him to. I like him the way he is. He's funny and caring and protective. And I'd never discovered this side of him if I hadn't hung out with him. Of course he's still a vampire. He killed people to feed on them but that's part of his nature. But, he doesn't kill people randomly anymore. He's over that. I asked him to stick to Stefan's animal blood diet… And believe it or not, spending time with Damon definitely helped getting over my grief,' Elena concluded.

During her speech Elena had stared at the table but now she looked up to meet her friends' gaze. She expected them to contradict her, tell her that she was wrong about Damon but they didn't. They exchanged a guilty look and pursed their lips. Some more seconds passed before Bonnie spoke.

'We didn't know that he means so much to you,' she admitted. 'We thought he's confused your mind or that you are plain crazy.'

'But we would have never thought that he can actually help you,' Caroline continued.

'We'd rather _we_ could help you get over your grief but apparently we can't. If he means so much to you and you he's different now we'll try to believe you. Although it's really hard but maybe you're right.'

'It's not only that, you know,' Elena started again. 'It's also kind of relieving to talk to someone who is a vampire about vampires. I didn't see it at first but he's incredibly smart and has so much experience of life. And he can help me investigate my adoption. He knows why I'm looking like Katherine, he told me that, but he doesn't want to tell me because he doesn't want me to be upset. See? He cares. He keeps secrets from me but at least he's not lying to me to make me feel better like Stefan did. He's always honest with me and I can trust him blindly. That's what I really appreciate that.'

* * *

Outside in the hall Damon was listening, using his vampire powers to catch every word of their conversation. He had eavesdropped on them all the time and was glad that he had. He had found out some interesting things about Elena's feelings that could come in handy someday. And he was of course happy that she was returning his trust blindly.

He smiled and turned around to leave. After he'd heard that Elena wasn't really mad at him for keeping her company but was actually enjoying it he gladly fulfilled her request to leave her alone until he needed her.

* * *

At the same time in the streets of Mystic Falls Jenna was on her way to the supermarket to get some groceries. Her thoughts were completely occupied with Elena, her birth mother and her possible connection to Alaric Saltzman via Isabol. After all it would be a big coincidence if there were two people called Isabol who had absolutely no connection to each other. No, Jenna felt sure that Alaric's wife was Elena's birth mother. She just had to prove it.

Speaking of the devil Alaric was approaching her in just this moment. His thoughts were occupied with Isabol, too, and his revenge on Damon which he would hopefully have soon.

Neither Jenna nor Alaric paid attention to the world around them so they didn't notice each other approaching and were both surprised when they bumped into each other.

'Oh, I'm sorry.'

'Me, too.'

'Oh, it's you, Jenna.'

'Hey, Alaric. Sorry for the bump. I completely spaced out,' Jenna apologized.

'It's okay. Actually, I did, too.'

They shared a smile.

'And, um, where are you headed?' Alaric asked conversationally.

'Oh, just to the supermarket. Stock up, you know,' she answered. 'And you?'

'Oh, I was just going to have a coffee. I've got a free period,' he explained. He waited for her 'I see' and then added 'Care to join me?'

'Oh, yes, sure.'

They smiled again and entered the next café where they took a seat and ordered something to drink. They drank their coffee in silence. None of them said a word. Jenna's thoughts were back to Isabol.

'Is something wrong?' Alaric asked after a while. 'You're so pensive.'

'No, it's alright.' Jenna quickly waved it off. 'I'm sorry. I spaced out again.' She took another sip, then she said 'No, you're right. There's something. We need to talk. About Isabol.'

Alaric nearly choked on his coffee. That was completely unexpected for him. 'About Isabol?' he repeated suspiciously. 'Why?'

'Tell me why you came to Mystic Falls,' Jenna inquired. 'Did you approach me because you hope to find something out about her?'

Alaric stared at her for a moment, taken aback by her bluntness and exhaled deeply. 'I'm honest with you, Jenna. I came to Mystic Falls to do some research. Something told me I'd find the murderer of my wife here and I did. But I didn't approach you because of it. I'm telling you the truth. Anyway, why do you ask?'

'I'll tell you in a minute but first I'll have to ask you something else,' Jenna replied, looking earnest. 'Did you and Isabol have a child?'

'No, we didn't. In the end we ran out of time,' Alaric answered. 'But now tell me, why do you ask?'

Jenna sighed. 'Well, it's about Elena. She's adopted and her birth mother is called Isabol like your wife.'

Alaric's eyes widened. 'What? It must be a coincidence. Isabol never got pregnant.'

'Do you have a picture of her with you? I'd like to take a look at her just to get sure,' Jenna asked.

'Yes, of course,' Alaric said. 'But I'm telling you, it can't be my Isabol.'

He took a photograph out of his jacket and showed it to her.

'Oh my God!' Jenna exclaimed. 'That's her!'

'What?'

'I'm positive. This is the woman who gave birth to Elena. I've seen her picture. My brother showed it to me back then.'

'But how can that be?' Alaric wondered aghast.

'Maybe she hid her pregnancy from you,' Jenna suggested.

'But why should she have done that?'

'I don't know. But the resemblance is too strong and she resembles Elena, too!' Jenna said excitedly. 'Look, I know this is a bombshell for you, now but we have to find out if you're Elena's biological father. You have to have you tested. I can help you. I can get her hair–'

'Yeah. Yeah, I'll do it,' Alaric said absent-mindedly. 'I… I need to go now. I'll call you. Bye, Jenna.'

'Oh, okay. Bye,' Jenna said a little disappointed and watched him walk out of the café.


	12. Welcome to the Masquerade

_Hello everybody! Did you enjoy your weekend? Thanks again for the numerous reviews!_

_So, a new chapter with loads of information. I already say sorry in advance if you suffer from an information overload after this chapter. Despite the risk I hope you'll enjoy reading it!_

* * *

**Chapter 12: Welcome to the Masquerade**

**Flashback**

_Elena was running down the stairs. She was late. Damon was already waiting thirty minutes for her. Not to mention that he had already called thrice to ask where the hell she was. Now finally she had all her things together for a sleepover at the Salvatore manor and was on her way there. At the door she met Jeremy._

_'I'm out. Tell Jenna I'll be back tomorrow by dinner, will you?' Elena said and grabbed her keys._

_'Are you going to Damon?' Jeremy inquired._

_'Yeah. Why?'_

_'Maybe you shouldn't spend so much time with him.'_

_'What?' Elena was confused. 'Why not?'_

_'I don't know. I think there's something off about him.'_

_'You played video games together,' Elena reminded him._

_'Yeah but still. Just be careful, okay?'_

_'Always am. Don't worry. See you tomorrow,' Elena said smiling and left._

**End of Flashback

* * *

**

Elena didn't think she would see Damon soon. Not before the weekend and she was even a little glad about it. Now she had finally some time for herself which she absolutely needed now and then. To write in her diary or to do other things like studying for school.

However everything wasn't as great as it seemed. First Elena got loads of homework for her biology class and then when she came home and turned on her computer, the system stopped first and then didn't work at all anymore. Elena buried her face in her hands. So much bad luck on one day was impossible.

Frustrated she walked into the hallway where she met Jeremy who was zipping up his jacket.

'Hey, where are you going?' she asked him.

'Just to the video store. I'll be back in an hour,' he answered.

'Okay. Hey, um, can I borrow your computer to do some research for school? My system just broke down.'

'Sure. I can take a look at it later if you want,' he offered.

'Yes, that would be great,' she said gratefully.

'Okay, see you later.'

'Bye.'

Jeremy left and Elena entered his room. She sat down in front of his computer and launched Firefox. Then she searched for Wikipedia in Jeremy's bookmarks. She didn't find it but lots of articles on vampires and their possible existence instead.

'What the…? Oh, no!'

She grabbed the cordless on Jeremy's desk and dialed.

* * *

Damon was just walking into the parlor, wondering what to do with his evening. He had narrowed down his options to feed, party or watch TV. He was just about to make a final decision when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the display to find Elena was calling.

'Damon Salvatore, may I help you?' he asked cockily. 'You know after this morning I shouldn't be talking to you at all.'

'I know. I wouldn't call if it wasn't important,' Elena said.

'Fine. Spill.'

'We have a problem. Please come over.'

'Why? What happened?' Damon demanded.

'I think Jeremy knows vampires really exist,' Elena explained.

'What?! I'll be over soon.'

He hung up and rushed away.

* * *

Meanwhile Jeremy had reached the video store and tried to decide which movie he should rent when he saw someone he knew enter the store. It was Tyler Lockwood. Jeremy walked over to him.

'What do you want, Gilbert?' Tyler asked irritated.

'You have to explain something to me,' Jeremy answered. 'I don't get you, man. First you tell me to back off and then you want to party with me.' He was hinting at the party at Fell's church.

Tyler sighed. 'Look, I was drunk the other day, okay?' Everything I said then is total BS. So, forget it, okay? I don't know why you're keeping your hopes up and for what. We'll never be friends, Gilbert. So, just back off.'

And with that he left the video store. Outside on the street he sighed deeply. He walked to his car, recalling a recent conversation with his father.

* * *

**Flashback**

_'Stay away from that Gilbert kid,' said Mayor Lockwood. 'His ancestor hunted vampires and I don't know if he knew of us and how he'd think of us. He'd probably see us as a threat, too. So, don't let Gilbert get to you. We don't know how much they told him.'_

**End of Flashback

* * *

**

Tyler reached his car, got in and started the engine. He gave the video a last look and then he drove away.

* * *

Five minutes after Elena had called Damon rang the doorbell of the Gilbert residence. Elena was there at once to let him in.

'So, why do you think he knows?' he came straight to the point.

'Come, I'll show you,' Elena said.

They went upstairs into Jeremy's bedroom and Elena showed him the websites Jeremy had bookmarked.

''Vampires in the real world?' That's bad,' Damon commented.

'I don't understand,' Elena said. 'I thought you'd erased his memories of Vicky.'

'I did,' Damon confirmed. 'He must have witnessed something after that.'

'They looked at each other for a moment and then it hit them.

'Anna.'

'But how?'

'Ahhh, I know. How could I've been so stupid,' Elena groaned. 'Back then when we opened the tomb. He told me he was okay. I should have let you erase his mind.'

'But what exactly did he see?'

'I don't know. He was unconscious during the ritual. There must have happened something with Anna before. Maybe she lost control in front of him.'

'Maybe,' Damon said. 'She didn't feed on him or the other guy?'

'No, I checked. There were no bite marks.'

'Mmh,' Damon mused. 'Well, you have to talk to him about it.'

'Yeah, I was going to, anyway.'

'Not because he simply knows but because of what he might do when he finds out more. About the Salvatore brothers for instance,' Damon specified.

'What do you mean?' Elena asked confused.

'Well, unlike you he's a direct descendent from Jonathan Gilbert and read his journal and–'

'You think–?'

'Well, I don't know. I don't Jeremy the way you do,' Damon said. 'You tell me. Would he feel obligated to do something about it if he found out more?'

Elena stared at him for a second, trying to comprehend what Damon was driving at.

'I – I don't know,' she said hesitantly. 'I honestly can't tell. I never really took it into consideration that the journal might influence or aggravate him. God, that mustn't happen. We – we have to stop him.'

'Well, first you talk to him. He's already on his way home,' Damon told her.

'How–? Oh, right, super far hearing ability,' she remembered. 'He's early. He said he'd be gone for an hour.'

Just in that moment they heard the front door open and close. Elena stepped into the hallway.

'Jeremy, is that you?'

'Yeah, it's me,' he called back.

'Can you come upstairs for a minute, please,' Elena asked.

'Sure.'

Elena walked back into the room and waiting for her brother to come.

'Is it about your computer?' they could hear him ask. Then he entered and saw them standing there, arms crossed. 'Whoa, what's this? What did I do?'

'You've got some serious explaining to do,' Elena said. She pointed at the computer screen. The sites about vampires were still open.

'What's this? Are you spying on me now? Ever heard of private sphere?' Jeremy inquired angrily.

'I wasn't spying on you,' Elena clarified. 'I checked your bookmarks for Wikipedia and then I saw these weird sites you've been on. And I wonder why.'

Jeremy sighed in defeat.

'Sit,' Damon said and pointed at the bed. 'This may take a while.'

'What have you got to do with it?' Jeremy demanded and slumped on his bed.

'We'll tell you, Jeremy,' Elena promised and sat down beside him. 'But you first.'

Jeremy glanced at Damon who looked sternly back then he sighed again and started telling them what got him so interested in vampires.

'You, um, remember Anna?' Elena nodded. 'She helped me with my history essay back then. Made me focus the town's fear of monsters like vampires in the 17th century. She was always insisting on the possibility that the stories could be real. Of course I didn't believe her. I thought she was just fascinated by them. Then at the party at the old Fell's church something weird happened. I kissed her and…' He paused a second. 'And her eyes started to change. They were getting darker and her face changed, too.'

Elena exchanged at look with Damon. They knew they were thinking the same thing. Jeremy looked at both of them confused.

'You don't seem surprised. You don't think I'm nuts.' That was a statement, not a question.

'Well, I'm not,' Elena said. 'Because… that's what happens everytime Stefan and I get close to each other.' Out of the corner of her eye she saw Damon squirm. She looked at him questioningly but he ignored her, watching Jeremy closely.

'You're not going to ask her about that?' he asked him.

'Of course I am!' Jeremy said. 'Will somebody please tell me what's going on?'

Damon looked at Elena. 'I hope you prepared a good speech. Mind what I said to you earlier.'

'Yeah, I'm not dumb, you know?' Elena replied slightly irritated. She looked at her brother. 'Before I start we have to set some rules. You're gonna listen till I'm finished without interrupting and you won't tell anyone about it, got it?' Jeremy nodded. 'Okay. Well, your instincts don't play a trick on you. It's true. Vampires exist. They did back then and they still do today.' She let that sink in for a second before she continued. 'But it's not that easy. As crazy as it sounds, not all vampires are bad. In this regard they are similar to humans. There are good and evil vampires like there are good and evil humans. The good vampires are so-called vegetarians–' Elena was interrupted by Damon burst out laughing. 'What? It's like that, isn't it?' she said. 'Because they feed on animal blood whereas the bad vampires feed on human blood. You understand? A vampire can make the choice whether he wants to be good or bad. They can control their thirst.'

'Vampires can feed on animal blood?' Jeremy repeated.

'Yeah.' Now Damon spoke because it was his field of expertise. 'They can. It keeps them alive, too, just doesn't make them as strong as human blood does.'

'How do you know about all that stuff?' Jeremy inquired now. 'It was big news to me when I found out that vampires might actually be real but you're so calm.'

Damon and Elena exchanged another look.

'I've known about this for a couple of months now,' Elena admitted. 'At first I was terrified after a while I didn't feel that way around some of them anymore because I learned about their personal choice. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you. I didn't want to scare you.'

'I'm not scared,' Jeremy said and Damon scoffed. 'I'm really not. What about him by the way? Jeremy demanded. 'Is he a vampire?'

He asked a direct question so he deserved a direct answer but Elena hesitated. She glanced at Damon, sort of looking for his permission to tell Jeremy.

'It's your decision,' Damon said as if he knew what she was thinking. 'I can take care of myself. If you want him to know then go ahead.'

Elena turned to Jeremy, partly afraid of his reaction to what she would tell him now.

'Yes, he is. Damon is a vampire and Stefan is one, too.'

'I knew there was something off about you,' Jeremy said to Damon. 'I sensed it somehow.'

Damon wasn't impressed. 'You're a Gilbert. It's in your genes.'

'Good or evil?'

'Depends.'

'Damon!' Elena rebuked him sternly. 'Don't listen to him. He likes to play the bad guy but he's actually good,' Elena explained. Damon scoffed again.

'Now you know. So, what are you gonna do? Are you planning to kill me?' he mocked.

Jeremy thought about that. 'No, I'm not. As long as you don't kill or bite anyone, I won't kill you.'

'Thank you so much.' Again Damon was mocking. 'Like you could do anything to me at all.'

'Damon!'

'What? He's like what? 15? What can he do?'

'Be careful. You might think differently about it if I ever find a reason to kill you,' Jeremy threatened.

'Alright, that's it, you two,' Elena intervened. 'Damon, don't even start and Jeremy, I assure you he won't do anything.'

'How can you be sure?' It couldn't be more obvious that Jeremy didn't trust Damon which was probably pretty healthy.

'Because it is in his interest to stay here in Mystic Falls. Alive,' she added. She met Damon's gaze who held it for a second before he averted his.

'So…' Jeremy kept asking. 'What about Anna?'

'I don't know,' Elena said. 'I don't know her enough to judge her but she lured you away from everyone and she was going to make a midnight snack out of you so…'

'No, Anna's not evil, Damon contradicted. 'She is good, too, if you really want to call a vampire good. She was only different because he wanted to get her mother back. That made her go over dead bodies. Well, it never came to that. But aside from that incident Anna and her mother Pearl are… I lack the words to describe them.'

'Peaceful maybe?' Elena suggested.

'Yeah. Sounds strange, though.'

Elena chuckled.

'And what about Vicky?' Jeremy asked now, his voice barely above a whisper.

Elena's eyes widened in horror. 'Vicky?' She turned to Damon. I thought you'd made him forget.'

'If he sees something familiar it triggers the memories to come back,' Damon explained.

'It's okay,' Jeremy said. 'I remember everything again. She tried to bite me and Stefan staked her. Has she always been a vampire?'

'No. She was turned,' Elena told him, careful not to mention who had turned her. 'And I'm sorry about you losing her. She made the wrong choice. She was driven by insatiable bloodlust. Stefan had no other choice.'

'I understand.' Jeremy sighed. 'So, who bit her?'

'Oh, will you please not believe every crap about vampires?' Damon groaned. 'You don't turn into a vampire after you're bitten by one. You have to have vampire blood in your system when you die. Then and only then you'll turn into a vampire. Well, and now?' Damon asked Elena. 'What are you gonna do? Do you want me to erase his memories of everything?'

'No!' Jeremy refused.

'Jeremy, believe me, it's better this way. I'd rather forget everything, too.'

'No.' Jeremy shook his head. 'I don't want to forget.'

'Do you want to worry about this all the time? Be scared all the time?'

'I told you I'm not scared. I can take this. I can deal with it, really. And I wanna prepared if anything ever happens,'

'Fair enough,' Damon commented.

'Okay but you mustn't tell anyone,' she reminded him.

'I'm not stupid,' Jeremy said. 'I can keep a secret. Who else knows about this?'

'Bonnie and Caroline,' Elena answered. 'And Alaric Saltzman.'

'Saltzman?' Jeremy repeated surprised.

'Yeah, he's having a pretty good hunch,' Damon said. 'Just like the Council and the sheriff. But they don't suspect me because as you might have noticed I don't burn in the sun.'

'Yeah. How do you pull that off, anyway?'

'I have a ring that protects me,' Damon explained, sounding bored. This never-ending interrogation was irritating him.

'You know, Saltzman has such a ring, too,' Jeremy told them.

'Yeah, but Saltzman isn't a vampire, Jeremy,' Elena said. 'He's human. But he has some grudge against vampires.'

'Why?'

'I don't know.'

'So is that it, now?' Damon asked. 'If so, I'm gonna leave now.'

'Where are you going?' Elena asked back.

'I'm hungry,' he said plainly. 'I'm going into the woods, rip a Bambi.'

'Yeah, thanks for the image,' Elena said disgusted. 'You can go.'

'See you then. Bye,' Damon said and left.

Elena turned to Jeremy. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, it's just pretty much, you know? I can hardly believe it.'

'Well, you have to. It's real and we can't run away from it. We can just accept it as a part of our lives and make the best out of it.'

'And you're not afraid of him?' Jeremy asked.

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Because I trust him that he won't hurt me.'

* * *

Jenna was just leaving from work. This day hadn't been very productive. Again and again her thoughts had drifted away to Alaric. She was waiting for his call. As agreed they'd left some DNA if Alaric and Elena at an institute to be compared for similarities. And now they were waiting for the results.

Jenna walked to her car and got in. she was just about to start the engine when her cell phone went off. The display told her Alaric was calling. She took a deep breath and answered.

'Hello?'

'Hi, Jenna. I've got the results. Can we meet somewhere?'

'Yes, of course.'

They agreed to meet in front of the café they'd gone to the last time they'd met. They sat down at table but didn't order anything yet. Thinking they might not be thirsty after they knew the results.

'I didn't want to open it without you,' Alaric explained. 'Somehow I didn't dare.'

'It's okay. I'm here for you now. Whatever it may be, okay?' Jenna said encouragingly.

Slowly and carefully Alaric opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of paper inside it. His face was absolutely blank when he looked at it. Without a word he passed the results to Jenna. Her eyes widened.

'Negative!'

'Negative,' Alaric confirmed.

'But that means–!'

Either it meant that Isabol had been pregnant before she had met Alaric or she'd cheated on him.

'How old is Elena?' Alaric asked quietly.

'She'll turn 18 soon,' Jenna told him.

'Isabol died last year and we've been together for 16 years.'

Now the case was clear.

* * *

_Was it too much? I hope not. Finally the story goes on little. Jeremy knows now which is probably partly a relieve for Elena but as Damon said she should mind his words. He's a Gilbert after all and hunting vampires is in his genes. Oh, did I just spoiler you? Whoops.._

_And then the whole Isabol story. Hehe, this will be interesting in the future, too ;)  
_

_The only thing I didn't include in this chapter was Alaric's try to get his revenge but hey, what is it? Chapter 12? No end in sight so far. Still enough room for that particular scene XD_

_Yours Asu_


	13. Dance With The Devil

I have a small Easter present for you. Two chapters in a row. Two, because one would have been too long. The second part will follow soon. In fact, I'm really typing it.

About the chapter: Last time I told you the scene in which Alaric tries to get his revenge will appear in this fanfic someday. Now I can tell you that it appear in exactly this chapter! It's not as exciting as in the TV series but I hope you like it anyway.

Also: As you might have noticed my chapters often are named after songs. And usually I start each chapter with some lyrics of the song the chapter is named after. I'll start it in this fanfic now, too.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 13: Dance With The Devil**

_Here I st__and, helpless and left for dead_

_I won't stay long, in this world so wrong_

_Trembling, crawling across my skin  
Feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine_

_Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight  
Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight

* * *

_

'So, are you looking forward to your big day tomorrow, sis?' Jeremy asked Elena during breakfast.

'Not really.' Elena replied. Somehow she had always imagined her 18th birthday to be different. A big party with everyone she loved. Her whole family and all of her friends… But it wouldn't be like that. At least not concerning the family part. Her brother Jeremy and her aunt Jenna were all she'd left of her family. Her adoptive parents were dead. Her birth mother Isabol was somewhere, unable for her to reach and her birth father was still unknown.

Sure, this birthday would blast… unlikely.

'Don't pull such a face,' Jenna said. 'We'll make it an unforgettable event for you. Jeremy and I have been planning it for months.'

'Yeah,' Jeremy agreed. 'Don't blow it.'

A small smile appeared on her face. 'Fine. If you say so I'll actually be looking forward to it. Well, I have to go,' Elena said now. 'Damon's probably waiting for me outside.'

'He seems to be a nice guy that Damon,' Jenna said. 'Considering that he's taking you along to school and spending so much time with you.'

Elena grinned. 'What are you driving at, Jenna?'

'Nothing. I just wondered if you'd like to invite him for tomorrow,' Jenna mused aloud.

Elena chuckled. 'Actually I was going to invite him… if he behaves today,' she added.

'Wonderful.'

Elena shook her head, smiling and walked to the front door. She opened it to see Alaric Saltzman standing outside.

'Oh, good morning, Mr Saltzman.'

'Good morning, Elena,' Saltzman greeted her back, smiling.

His smile was creepy. As if he had to force it.

'Jenna! It's Mr. Saltzman!'

Jenna was immediately at the door.

'Hey,' she said when she saw Saltzman. 'See you in the afternoon,' she added to Elena, clearly asking her to leave now.

Elena found her behavior odd but said bye and got into Damon's car.

* * *

This was obviously not his day, Alaric thought. It already had a bad start when he met the murderer of his wife Isabol in front of his lover Jenna's house. But if he thought it couldn't get worse he was mistaken. When he rang the doorbell of the Gilbert residence no one else than Elena opened the door. Elena, the daughter of Isabol but… not his daughter. He was immediately reminded of that at her sight. And again it got worse. Elena walked past him and got into the car of his Isabol's murderer. It all seemed so surreal to him. He watched them drive away and stared after them until they were out of sight.

'Nice of him to take her along, isn't it?' Jenna's voice brought him back from his trance.

'Not really,' he said bitterly. 'Maybe you should talk to Elena about him, Jenna.'

'Why?'

'I've seen him before. He's the one who killed my wife. The one who killed Isabol.'

Jenna's eyes widened in horror.

* * *

'Thank you by the way,' Damon said smugly when he pulled out of the parking lot. 'For hanging out with me again and allowing me to go to school instead of dying of boredom.'

'You're welcome.' Elena grinned.

'Damon looked at her with his sunglasses slightly down and grinned back. 'Don't play pretend. You needed a ride.'

'True. Jenna needs her car to drive to work.'

Damon smiled about her bluntness but his smile quickly disappeared.

'Is your aunt dating Saltzman now?' he asked earnest.

'Yeah, I guess so. But I wonder why he came back. He said he'd leave Mystic Falls.'

'Maybe he never left,' Damon suggested darkly.

'Yeah, maybe.'

'Something's off about him.'

'Think he's suspecting you?' Elena asked.

'No, that's not it.' Damon shook his head. 'There's something else. Can't describe it. I just know it.'

'Mmh,' Elena thought about this but then gave it up because she couldn't think of another reason for Saltzman to be after Damon other than he knew he was a vampire. 'Well, anyway, it's, um, my birthday tomorrow and I'm, um, Jenna said I should invite you.'

'Give her my thanks but unfortunately I'm already booked,' Damon replied.

'_What?!_'

'Yeah, well, not booked but I'm waiting for someone else to invite me to her party,' Damon explained.

'_Her?!_' Elena repeated and couldn't hide her jealousy.

'Yup.'

'So, um, who is it? Do I know her?'

'Yeah, I think so,' Damon said. 'She's, um, tall… slender… with brown hair and amazing brown eyes.'

'I see,' Elena said. She shouldn't be surprised, she thought. Damon never turned a woman down. Not that she had expected him to like her someday or to come to her stupid party… It was probably below him…

'And she'll turn 18 tomorrow,' Damon concluded and put on a smug.

It took Elena some seconds to process what he had just said before she realized he'd been talking about her all the time.

'Me?'

'I'll only come to your party if I receive an exclusive invitation from no one but you. Not your aunt, you.'

Elena smiled. 'So, I'm happily inviting you to my birthday party tomorrow.'

'Did I hear 'party'?' Damon asked eagerly. 'When shall I be there?'

Elena laughed. Damon gave her smile, not a smugly, not a cockily but a genuine smile.

'Be there at six,' she told him.

'I will.'

'Good.'

* * *

It was late. School was over and Damon had driven Elena home. Afterwards he had gone to the grill to have a drink, some kind of an evening routine. While he knocked back his bourbon he checked his cell phone for missed calls or messages. He had none of them. He had not really expected to receive one but he was beginning to wonder what his brother was doing. He hadn't expected Stefan to stay away for long or be gone without leaving Elena a message once. But that was the case. No sound, no trace from Stefan whatsoever. What the heck was he doing? Truth be told Damon didn't really miss him. If Stefan came back now he'd just spoil the fun he could have with Elena. But with her birthday tomorrow it was more than likely than he would come back.

So much for the fun…

He knocked back another shot before calling it a day. He walked back to the manor, still with Elena on his mind. He wanted to get her something – after all she only turned 18 once – but he couldn't think of a present she'd like. Completely lost in thoughts he didn't notice anything before he entered the house. But once inside he sensed a human aura, rather sensed his scent. Someone was in the house and he was vengeful.

Slowly, not daring to let his guard down, he made his way to the parlor. Thanks to his vampire eyes he could see everything as clear as at daytime. If someone was waiting for him in the parlor he would see him before he could move and if he was coming down the stairs and sneaking up on him he'd hear him.

Carefully he stepped into the parlor and looked around. Although he didn't need it he turned on the light. Maybe it'd scare the intruder off.

That wasn't exactly what happened.

As soon as the light was on someone grabbed his shoulders and jumped on his back. Damon balance and fell on the floor with the intruder hovering above him. He felt something sharp graze his chest while trying to shake the intruder off. He didn't need to look down to know that it was a stake. Angry he took a look at the man who was pinning him to the floor.

It was Alaric Saltzman.

Damon was confused. '_You_?'

'Me,' Alaric said breathless.

'What the hell are you doing?!' Damon demanded while pushing away the stake that Saltzman kept pointing at him. 'What do you want from me?!'

'You killed me wife!'

'What?' Damon stared at him for a second than groaned. 'I'm so sick of this 'You-killed-my-XXX-and-now-I'll-kill-you crap.'

'Monster!'

'Thanks,' Damon commented bored. 'Not that I care but who was your wife anyway?'

'Her name was Isabol! And she looked like this!' Saltzman took a photograph out of his pocket and showed it to Damon who glanced at it. 'Does it ring any bells?'

'No.'

'You!' Alaric growled and tired to point the stake at Damon again. 'You can't just have forgotten her!'

'Do you think I keep a record of every person I feed on? They're food not trophies. And would you please stop that?' he added.

Using vampire speed he turned the situation around. Now he was pinning Saltzman to the floor. 'See, you have no chance against me. You'll never have the revenge you're seeking. I can kill you in the blink of an eye. You came here for nothing tonight. I'll let you go, now but I swear, one move and I'll really kill because you piss me off, got it?'

Slowly, his eyes fixed on Saltzman, Damon got up, followed by Saltzman.

'Don't ever try that again,' Damon threatened. 'Jenna wouldn't like to see you dead, I suppose.'

Alaric's eyes widened. It was obvious that he hadn't thought of Jenna on his mission once.

'One last question,' he demanded. 'I saw you feed on her. But when I came back from calling the police both of you were gone. There was nothing left of her but blood. What did you do to her?'

'Nothing,' Damon answered. 'I left after I was done with her. Oh, and by the way,' he added. 'You'd probably like to know that I didn't kill her. I didn't drain her completely.'

'You didn't?' Alaric was surprised.

'No, I didn't,' Damon affirmed. 'And now leave, please. We're done here.'

'Not really,' Alaric said. 'I'll be back to get my revenge. After all it's your fault she's missing. Not today but someday I will find a way to kill you.'

Damon smirked like he was thinking Let me see you try. 'If it makes you happy,' he said as if he couldn't care less.

Alaric left now. Damon sighed in irritation and slumped on the couch. The picture of Alaric's life was still there. He picked it up from the floor, looked at it and got lost in thoughts…

* * *

_I think I need to explain some thinks. Damon really doesn't remember Isabol at first. And in this fanfic, he didn't turn her. At least not intentionally. I'm saying there will be more to the Isabol story following in the coming chapters._

_Did I make you curious? XD_

_By the way, the next chapter is, have a guess, about Elena's birthday of course. _


	14. The Best Thing

_As promised the next chapter is already on^^ Like always thanks again for your kind reviews! Love you all!_

_Well, nothing's really happening in this chapter. Just Elena and her friends celebrating her birthday. Enjoy!

* * *

  
_

**Chapter 14: The Best Thing**

_Always knew I'd find someone  
I never dreamt i__t'd be like this  
You've surpassed all that I've hoped for (and ever wished)  
And I'm tryin 'so hard with all my heart and mind  
To make your life as good as you've made mine_

_I'll go back to before we met  
Nothing will ever be as good as here and now  
Cause when I looked into your eyes and you dared to stare right back  
You should've said "Nice to meet you, I'm your other half"_

_All I'm gonna have i__s all that you can give me  
And I'll give right back everything I have in me  
Cause nothing ever felt as right as this does right now_

_This is the best thing, t__he best thing that could be happening  
and I think you would agree  
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me

* * *

_

Elena's birthday started quite unspectacular. She woke up in the morning and had breakfast with her family like everyday. The rest of the day she spent in her room waiting for her cue. At four p.m. her grandparents from her father's side came for coffee and cake. At the same time Bonnie, Caroline and Matt arrived.

Elena received her presents and was finally allowed to open them. The first present was from Jeremy. It was a sketch of her. It was really good because the Elena on the paper looked exactly like her. Elena smiled and hugged him. Then she went for the next present but Jenna stopped her.

'Take the other one first,' she said.

Elena looked at her questioningly before she grabbed the other present.

'That's from us,' Caroline told her and pointed at Bonnie, Matt and herself.

It was a set of jewelry with a bracelet, ear rings and a necklace.

'Oh, they're beautiful! Thank you!' Elena said and hugged her friends.

'You're welcome,' Bonnie said smiling.

Now there was only one present left. Elena figured it was from the whole family. It was hidden in a very small box.

'What's that?' Elena wondered aloud.

'Just open it and see,' Jenna said.

Elena didn't need to be told that twice. She grabbed the box, opened it and took out a key.

'A key?'

'To your new car,' Jenna explained. 'You definitely need your own. I realized that over the last couple of months. It's outside if you want to take a look at it.'

'Oh my god!' Elena exclaimed.

She jumped to her feet and ran outside to take a look at her new car. It was a blue-metallic Ford Verve Sedan and it looked absolutely gorgeous. Elena put the key into the locket and opened the door and took a look inside. The car looked great from inside, too.

She got out again and looked over the roof of the car to find her family and friends standing outside, too, smiling. She closed the door of her new car, locked it and walked over to everyone to hug Jenna and her grandparents.

'It's beautiful. Thank you so much!'

'Thank your brother as well,' Jenna said. 'I let him pick it because he's up-to-date with cars.'

'Thanks, Jeremy. Great pick,' Elena said and hugged him, too.

'It's not one of the latest but it looks good and has great statistics,' he explained.

'I love it,' Elena said and made everyone smile. 'Well, let's go inside again. It's chilly outside.'

They went back inside and had a little chit-chat before the tea party at half past five. Jenna and the Gilberts left so that they had the house all to themselves.

'You staying?' Elena asked Jeremy.

'Oh, I think I'll pass,' Jeremy said. 'I'll sleep over at a friend's. Have a good time.'

'Thanks we definitely will,' Elena said and walked them to the door.

'When I come back home I want to find the house as clean as I left it, got it?' Jenna told her.

'Sure thing, Jenna. See you then.'

Once family was out the preparations for the real party could begin.

'Okay. Who's responsible for the music?' Elena asked.

'That would be me,' Matt answered and pointed his bag which was full of CDs.

'Good, then we'll prepare something to eat,' Elena said and entered the kitchen together with Bonnie and Caroline. Matt joined them as soon as the music was playing.

* * *

At six sharp the doorbell rang and Elena nearly flew happily to the door. She couldn't help but feel excited because she knew once Damon was there the party would be great. Hadn't he once said so himself at his birthday party back then? Elena opened the door with force and smiled widely when she saw Damon.

'Whoa. Hi,' he said surprised at her enthusiasm. 'Are you drunk?'

'Not yet,' she said in a sing-song voice. 'Come on in,' she said and pulled him inside.

'By the way, whose freaking gorgeous car is that outside?' Damon demanded.

'You mean the blue Ford?'

'Yeah.'

'That's mine,' Elena told him grinning. 'Now you don't need to take me along to school. I can take my car to get anywhere.'

'Do as you like. Well,' Damon announced. 'After you insisted on celebrating my birthday I'd like to return the favor. All weekend long.'

Elena laughed. 'You're crazy, you know that?'

Damon ignored her remark. 'Starting now,' he continued and revealed a bunch of roses which he handed her. Elena didn't need to count them to know it was 18 roses.

Elena was shocked by his gesture. 'You didn't need to get me something.'

'It's nothing. Just roses.' He shrugged.

'Thank you,' she said and hugged him. 'You knew I'd hug you for that, didn't you?'

'I was hoping for it.' He smirked.

'I guessed so.' She grinned. 'Come on, I just get those some water and a vase and you can say hello to everyone.'

They walked into the kitchen where Bonnie, Caroline and Matt were still preparing snacks. They all said hello to Damon sounding ever so polite like they'd actually mean it but of course Damon knew that they didn't trust him. Elena admired them for their acting skills.

* * *

Half an hour later everything was ready and the party could start. They were dancing, they drinking and they played typical party games like Spin-The-Bottle. The only one who wasn't drunk after an hour was Elena.

'Would you like some, Elena?' Damon asked her cockily and held the bottle of bourbon just above her glass.

'Oh no, better not,' she declined.

'Oh, come on, I know you can be so much fun without your restraint,' Damon insisted. 'Like when we were in Atlanta.'

'God, Damon, shut up, please. That was so embarrassing,' Elena groaned and buried her face in her hands.

Her friends however were curious and urged Damon to tell the story. So he did and Elena wished for the ground to give away and devour her.

'Don't pull such a face, Elena,' Damon said sweetly when he had finished. 'You were fun. So, come on now, show us your party soul,' he added and filled her glass.

'Okay,' Elena gave in. 'But only one glass.'

She raised her glass and sipped, then she shivered violently.

'That tasted different in Atlanta,' she said.

'That's because we didn't have bourbon in Atlanta but quickies,' Damon explained.

'I see. Well, then, cheers, guys,' she said and clinked glasses with everyone.

The alcohol was effective as ever because half an hour later Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were joined in the bathroom while Matt and Damon were talking about music.

'So,' Elena asked. 'Are you enjoying yourselves?'

'Definitely,' they confirmed.

'To be honest, I was little nervous because you and Matt obviously have a past…' Caroline admitted.

'There's no need to worry, Caroline,' Elena told her. 'I've moved on. I'm with Stefan, now.'

She said that reflexively although she wasn't with Stefan right now.

'Has he gotten in touch yet?' Bonnie asked.

'No,' Elena answered sadly. 'But that's not gonna drag me down. I'm happy my friends are here,' she added and put her arms around their shoulders. 'And I want you for not having a go at Damon.'

'We promised you we'd hold back because it's your birthday,' Bonnie said. 'And we accept that you like him.'

'And he's actually fun,' Caroline pointed out.

'Yes, he is,' Elena agreed smiling. 'Come on, let's go back.'

Matt and Damon were still talking eagerly – now about cars – when the girls re-entered the living room. Suddenly a phone rang.

'That's mine,' Elena said.

'Was about time,' Caroline commented.

'I'll turn the music down,' Matt said but Elena stopped him.

'It's okay,' she told him. 'That was my message tone. No need to turn the music down.'

She exchanged a look with Damon and grabbed her phone. As expected she'd received a text message from Stefan. She sighed and opened it to read it.

_Happy Birthday, Elena, love! I'm so sorry I can't be there to celebrate this wonderful day with you. If you'd never been born we'd never met and I'm so happy to know. Unfortunately, I'm really busy at the moment. That's why I couldn't call or text you earlier. But I'll be back as soon as I can. So long goodbye and a happy birthday to you! XXX Stefan_

'Pff.' Elena threw her cell phone on the counter and slumped on the couch beside Damon. For a second she allowed him to see the pain in her eyes.

'You alright, Elena?' Bonnie asked carefully.

'Yes, I'm fine,' Elena answered. 'Nothing's changed, right? I didn't expect him to get in touch anyway. So, let's just continue to party.'

'It's okay if you're sad,' Matt began.

'I'm not sad,' Elena corrected. 'If I was sad I'd kick out now because I wanted to be alone but I don't. So, let's pretend nothing happened, okay?'

She could feel Damon's gaze on her but she didn't dare to meet it. She was afraid he façade would break if she did. Somehow Damon had a talent to see right through her and she didn't want him or everyone else to know that she was upset about Stefan's absence. In fact, she hoped they could distract and cheer her up.

'So, she said. 'How about another round of Spin-The-Bottle? I'm in for fun.'

Her friends were eying her for a moment, obviously not convinced by her good mood but they didn't ask her anymore and sat down for the game.

They played for an hour and Elena started smiling and laughing again soon. Forgotten was her sadness about Stefan's absence. She was enjoying the party again.

After an hour they stopped playing because everyone was already pretty drunk and they didn't want to overdo it. Instead they started talking about this and that. School stuff, music, and cars in case of Damon and Matt.

'So, where's your birthday present for Elena, Damon?' Caroline demanded after a while.

'He brought me flowers,' Elena told her. 'Didn't you see them? They're in the kitchen.'

'Yeah, I did, but that can't be everything right?' Caroline insisted. 'After all you turned 18 today.'

'It's enough for me re–' Elena started but was interrupted by Damon.

'You're right. That can't be it,' he agreed. 'And that's why…' He took something out of the pocket of his shirt and handed it Elena. 'That's why I brought this, too.'

'What is this?' Elena asked, eying the envelope excitedly.

'Open it and you'll see.'

He was giving her one of his rare, genuine smiles again and Elena knew whatever was in that envelope it would be great. Slowly she opened it and took out what was inside.

It was a card. A card to a Breaking Benjamin concert.

'Oh my god!' Elena exclaimed amazed. 'I heard they were all sold!'

'They are,' Damon confirmed. 'Got this last minute.'

'Oh my, this must have been so expensive,' Elena said embarrassed.

'Don't worry about it.' He waved it off. 'You like it?'

'I love it!' Elena exclaimed and threw her arms around him. 'Thank you so much!'

She let go of him and smiled widely while she took a closer look at the card.

'It's tomorrow night in Atlanta…'

'Doesn't it take a day to get there by car?' Matt asked.

'Yeah,' Elena said sadly. 'We'd have to leave about now but I can't. I promised Jenna to clean up.'

'Don't worry about it,' Bonnie said now. 'We'll take care of it.'

'What? No, I can't–'

'Yes, you can and you will,' Caroline agreed with Bonnie. 'Go and have fun. And when you come back everything will be clean.'

'Really?'

'You bet on it,' Matt affirmed.

'Oh, thank you!' Elena said and got up to hug them. 'I'll definitely make up for it, I promise.' Then she walked to the stairs. 'I'll go pack some things. Be right back,' she told them and ran upstairs.

Damon and her friends laughed about her enthusiasm.

'Wow, that was an awesome present idea,' Matt said to Damon. 'Where'd you get the cards so shortly?'

'Connections,' Damon answered casually and helped himself with bourbon. eBay was the right answer. 'Cheers, everyone.'

* * *

Two hours later Damon and Elena were already on the road to Atlanta. Elena was so happy that she couldn't put in into words. She'd never expected Damon to give her something like this for her birthday. Of course she knew that he was getting something out of it, too. Some time alone with her which he had been anticipating for some time now, Elena could tell. She didn't mind at all. In fact, she was looking forward to quality time with Damon, too.

'I still can't believe it, Damon.' She sighed. 'You're unbelievable.'

'Thanks.' He smirked.

'I didn't know what I expected and if I expected anything at all but it certainly wasn't this.'

'I get it, Elena. Calm down,' he replied laughing.

'Oh my god, I just realized I'm not up-to-date with Breaking Benjamin. I know they released a new record but I didn't get to listen to it yet and they'll probably play most of the songs off it, right?'

'Probably,' Damon confirmed and opened the glove compartment. 'But no need to worry, I something that will help you with your dilemma.' He handed her the new Breaking Benjamin album. 'I guess you have enough time to learn the lyrics.'

'I shouldn't be surprised, huh?' Elena said and put the CD into the player.

'I think you'll like it pretty much,' Damon said. 'They are a little calmer now but they're still great.'

'Okay. Shh, I want to listen,' Elena cut him off.

They listened to a couple of songs and Elena liked each of them. If it was possible at all she was even happier now.

'Damon?'

'Mmh?'

'You're gorgeous.'

Damon smiled cockily. 'I knew you'd think so eventually.'

'No, really, you are,' Elena insisted. 'If you get past all your macho and Oh-I'm-so-evil attitude you're a really great guy.'

'Thanks, hun.' He smiled obviously happy and this time Elena didn't even mind him calling her that. It actually started to appeal to her.

* * *

_Don't you agree that Damon is the best thing that could have happen to Elena? ;) _

_Well, I have to admit, that I'd like to be Elena right now and go to a BB concert. As I live in Germany I can never see them unless I go to the U.S. Damn that Ben got this phobia. But hey, I'm young and maybe oneday I will go to the U.S and see them live.^^_

_I did some research to find that there isn't a BB concert in Atlanta in reality around the time of Elena's birthday (I made up her birth date. No clue when she was really born) so I just chose any location they've recently given a concert. I think it was with Flyleaf and Three Days Grace... but I'm not sure. _

_Anyway, I hoped you like this chapter!_


	15. I Will Carry You

_Shame on me. Almost a week has passed since I posted a chapter. I'm so sorry! But now I have a new chapter for you. With everything you're waiting for: action, angst, comfort and (a little) love. I really like this chapter which quite frankly doesn't happen often. I hope you'll like it, too! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 15: ****I Will Carry You**

_Yeah I know it hurts._

_Yeah I know you're scared walking down the road that leads to who knows where. _

_Don't you hang your head don't you give up yet._

_When courage starts to disappear I will be right here._

_When your world breaks down and the voices tell you turn around._

_When your dreams give out, I will carry you.  
When the stars go blind and the darkness starts to flood your eyes. _

_When you're falling behind, I will carry you.

* * *

_

If Damon had wanted to achieve something with this road trip and concert he would have accomplished his mission perfectly. Elena was pretty psyched even hours after the concert had ended. The wide smile never left her face.

Damon was happy, too, because he had made Elena happy. After that apocalyptic message from his stupid Oh-I'm-so-busy-that-I-can't-even-stop-by-and-say-happy-birthday brother hadn't been sure if he could bring the smile he loved back on her face but he had made it. He was a genius.

The Breaking Benjamin album was still in the player, on repeat for hours but none of them minded. The music only intensified their relishing about the gig. And now they were back on the road, heading home. It seemed like they were spending more time on the road in Damon's car than anywhere else.

"You know," Elena said. 'This is definitely our thing. Road trips."

"Definitely," Damon agreed. "How about we turn around and drive anywhere. Until the gas tank's empty. What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy," Elena answered laughingly. "Maybe next time."

"So you admit you want a next time?"

"Sure, why not."

"Then we'll do it. Anytime you like. I'm always. Always. Just call me."

Elena laughed again. "Calm down. Now we're driving home."

"True, but, correct me if I'm mistaken, vacation started like today, right?"

"Right…"

"So how about you come over for another sleepover. We could party again," Damon suggested.

"Oh, no, no party for at least a week, please," Elena replied. "I'm exhausted."

"Okay."

"But I accept the invitation to a sleepover," Elena added.

"Great!" Damon said, smirking and raising his brows mischievously.

"Stop it," Elena groaned.

"Stop what?" Damon asked innocently.

"You know what."

"No."

Their gazes met and they burst out laughing.

"Ahh, precious memories." Damon sighed.

"What's precious about you cooking dinner in our kitchen?" Elena asked, brows furrowed.

"Are you hungry?" Damon evaded deliberately. "I could impress you with my marvelous cooking again."

"Sure. Actually, I'm starving," Elena said. "So, what's for dinner tonight?"

"Mmh, I don't know. How about… Bonnie and Caroline?!"

"What?!" Elena stared at him disgust. "That's not funny, Damon."

"No. Look," Damon said. "There."

They'd reached the Gilbert residence. Bonnie and Caroline were standing in front of it.

"Oh my god, is that blood?!" Elena shrieked and stormed out of the car. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"Thank god, you're back!" Bonnie said and hugged her.

"What happened?" Damon inquired now more emphatically.

"We were out with some guys and then on our way home they attacked us," Bonnie told them.

"They? How many?"

"Two."

Damon and Elena exchanged a guilty look. They'd completely forgotten that Mystic Falls was still being terrorized by hungry vampires.

"Did somebody else see them?"

"No, only us."

"Um, what's with Caroline?" Elena whispered.

Caroline hadn't moved since Damon and Elena had arrived. She was staring into the nothing with a shocked expression on her face.

"She has shock, I think. Hasn't said a word since the attack."

"Cannot blame her. Damon, can't you do something?" Elena asked.

He nodded and walked over to Caroline to modify her memories.

"Come, I'll clean you up," Elena said to Bonnie and put her hand on her shoulder.

"No, I'm okay," Bonnie said. "We're okay. But you need to do something. It can't go on like this. Too many have died."

"I know. We'll take care of it. And you'll really be okay?"

"Yes, we'll be fine," Bonnie affirmed.

Caroline joined them now.

"You ready, Bonnie? Let's go."

"Yeah, let's go," Bonnie said. "Take care, Elena, please."

"Don't worry. Get home, safe."

"Bye, Elena."

"Bye, Caroline."

Bonnie and Caroline got into Bonnie's car and drove off and Elena turned to Damon.

"What did you tell Caroline?" she asked him.

"I told her to go straight to bed and when she'd wake up everything would be fine."

"Good. Do you still have the stakes in your car."

"Yes…"

"Good. Let's go," she urged him.

"Wait, what are you up to?" Damon demanded.

"Go and kill the vampires of course," Elena answered matter-of-factly.

"What? No!" Damon nearly shouted.

"We don't have a choice," Elena told him. "Too many have died already."

"Yes, but we can't. Not now. You're not ready. We didn't train–"

"It doesn't matter," Elena cut him off. "We have to do it. Now. And as long I'll be with you I'll be fine."

Damon bit his lower lip. He didn't like what was about to happen. This was far too dangerous for Elena. Actually he had planned to train her fighting and wanted her to drink verveine before they would go out to hunt. There was no time for any of it if they'd really go now.

"It's too dangerous," he began.

"I don't care!" Elena shouted. "Damon, they attacked my friends. I don't know when Jeremy will get home. He could be the next victim. He could die. I can't that happen. I won't!"

Her eyes bore into his, holding his gaze steadily. Her gaze was hard and determined. She knew what she wanted. She had a strong will. Usually Damon admired that about her but now she was just insane. She was demanding something from him he couldn't accept. If Elena died Stefan would kill him. He couldn't risk it.

"Elena–"

"If you don't like it, I'll do it alone," she announced now and turned around and walked toward his car.

"No!" Damon said and caught up with her. "You won't do it on your own."

They got into the car and Damon started the engine.

"Damon? Thank you."

"I'm not doing it for you," Damon told her. "I'm going with you because Stefan will kill me if anything happens to you."

"You're here. That's all that matters."

* * *

Although they hadn't trained Damon and Elena were making good progress. That was mainly due to the fact that Damon didn't hide and only interfered in emergencies this time. He was fighting alongside Elena from the very beginning. 10 vampires were already staked. Each of them had killed five. Contrary to his former believe Elena was doing just fine, even without proper training. Last time she had probably been just overwhelmed by the sudden attack of the vampire, he figured but now he was starting to believe in her and her skills. Elena, too, was quite psyched by her achievements but she couldn't ignore the fact that she was beginning to get tired. When had been the last time she had slept a little? She couldn't remember. But the adrenaline was rushing through her veins, keeping her going so that even if she reached her limits she wouldn't feel it coming. That made her an easy prey for the vampires of course. Thank god Damon was with her. By the way, where was he? She couldn't see him.

"Damon?" she called out to him. "Damon, where are you?"

He didn't answer and Elena was beginning to freak out. She'd just seen him fighting another vampire and now both of them were gone. And her vampire opponent was gone, too…

Her heart was pumping fast while she spun around looking for someone, anyone, any being, no matter if living or non-living. But there was nothing. Not even a gently breeze of the wind. Absolutely nothing…

"Damon? Damon! Aaaaargh!!!"

Suddenly something crept up behind her and pushed her flat on the ground. A dark growl sounded behind her and hot breath grazed her neck. Then the vampire turned her roughly around and Elena was facing eyes full of bloodlust and long, sharp teeth that protruded from his mouth.

"Aaaargh!!"

She was struggling hard to shake him off but she couldn't. He was too strong and pinning her almost effortlessly to the ground. He stake had fallen out of her hand when she'd fallen and was out of reach. Where the hell was Damon?"

"Damon! Damoooooon!"

The vampire now leapt at her throat. It hurt beyond imagination when his fangs pierced her skin and memories of Vicky Donovan's attack flashed through her mind. The sound of him sucking her blood made her sick. She was still trying to get him off her but her efforts were subsiding as she was growing weaker. She realized: she was going to die. The vampire wasn't just going to still his hunger. He was going to drain her until there would be no drop of blood left. Her vision started to swim and darkness started to capture her.

"ELENA!"

She thought she heard Damon's voice from the distance. Then there was a rough jolt and the weight on her body was gone. At least she thought so. Her senses were growing weaker by the second. She wasn't sure anymore.

"Elena. Elena, stay awake."

Damon. His voice was so close… She struggled to open her eyes. There he was. Damon was back.

"Elena. Elena, look at me. Look at me! Focus, don't give in!"

He cradled her gently in his arms to support her. Keep her steady. That was important now.

"Damon…"

"Shh, don't speak, Elena. Save your strength. Everything will be alright."

He looked at the wound in her neck and gasped. It was deep. That damn vampire had cut the artery. It was bleeding violently. Damon gulped. He could feel his insides contracting and his throat starting to burn. He blood awakened his instincts. It made him hungry. He was fighting against it. Goddammit, she was dying right here in his arms! He'd sworn he wouldn't let her get hurt. She couldn't die. He wouldn't let her die!

Without realizing what he was doing there he raised his fist to his mouth and bit it hard. The blood was running down his hand and he held it in front of Elena's mouth. Elena was barely conscious now. She was fading fast. Her time was running out.

"Elena. Elena, open your eyes! Look at me!"

She opened her eyes and struggled to keep them open. When she saw his bleeding hand her eyes widened in horror and she whimpered.

"Elena, drink. It'll heal your wound."

"No."

"Elena! Be reasonable! If you don't drink you'll die!"

"No."

"Please, Elena! Look, listen, I promise I'll take care of you. I promise, you won't die and turn into a vampire. I won't let that happen. I won't let you die! Trust me, Elena. Please!"

His pleading eyes bore into her own and although her vision was blurry she could clearly see his fear in them. And she believed him. She would trust him. She was no longer protesting and silently agreed. So Damon pressed his bleeding hand to her mouth and Elena started to swallow his blood down.

Damon sighed in relief. "That's my girl."

He kissed the top of her head and gently stroked her hair while she was drinking. It took some more gulps before the wound on her neck closed and Elena regained some strength.

"How are you?" he asked her softly still cradling her in his arms.

"I don't know," she said weakly. "I'm feeling strange."

"You just swallowed down two ampoules of my blood. I'm surprised you haven't puked it out by now."

Elena smiled slightly. But Damon couldn't smile about his own joke. Now that the danger was over his guilty conscience started to bug him. Elena could've died. He should've never let it come that far.

"I'm sorry," he began. "They were working together. The one I was fighting lured me away. He was older and stronger than me. When you called for me he didn't let me get to you. If only I'd killed him sooner then you wouldn't…"

Her cries were still echoing in his ears. He was sure he'd never forget them. They'd been so penetrating… so much pain to listen to…

"It's okay. You've been there after all," Elena tried to comfort him. "You better keep you promise," she added menacingly.

For a moment Damon had forgotten what he'd promised her but now that she mentioned it he remembered it.

"I'd better not take the risk and break it," he replied with his smug back on place.

"So much better," she emphasized, giving him a smile which he returned. "So, um," she said now. "Are we gonna stay here like this forever? It's freezing."

"No, of course not. Can you stand?"

"Negative. I'm still feeling weak."

Damon lifted her in his arms and got up, heading for the Salvatore manor.

"Tonight you're the knight in shining armor," Elena giggled. "Wait, no, you're not. You don't sparkle."

Damon snorted. "Thank god, I don't. How would I be able to be the bad guy with the diabolical plans on his mind if I sparkled? No, and besides, I'd rather not steal this title from my brother."

"But Stefan's not here, right? So you're the guy for tonight," Elena said drowsily and snuggled against his chest much to Damon's pleasure.

* * *

They reached the manor a quarter of an hour later. Damon gently sat Elena on the couch.

"I'll just get you something to change. I guess you don't want to sleep in those bloody ones."

"Yes. I'd like to take a shower, too, but I feel like I'd keel over if I tried to stand up."

"You'll be fine," Damon promised and left her side for a moment.

Soon he was back with a pair of pyjamas and an oversized t-shirt as well as a little bowl full of water and a washcloth.

"You can wash up and change and I'll go get you something to drink. I guess you must be thirsty."

"Yes, I am. Thanks, Damon." He flashed a smile at her and walked out of the parlor. "And don't you dare to peep!" she called after him.

She only heard him chuckle but she trusted him. So she got out of her bloody clothes and washed the blood on her body away before getting dressed in the clothes that were obviously Damon's. She smiled as she noticed how big they were for her and couldn't help but smell on them, taking in Damon's unique scent.

"Gotcha!" Damon caught her off guard.

Elena raised her head to see him leaning against the doorframe, smirking. "I was checking if I was still reeking of blood."

"Right," Damon said and walked over to her. "Like you could make out the smell. And for your information you're not reeking of blood anymore but you clothes are. I'll better put them into the washing machine," he added. He handed her the glass of water, grabbed her clothes, left with inhuman speed and came back a second later. Elena started drinking water and emptied the glass in almost a single gulp.

"Is that one of the side effects if a human drinks vampire blood?" she asked when Damon took the glass, put it on the floor and took a seat right of her on the couch.

"No, it's just because you're weak. That vampire nearly drained you."

"Wasn't it hard for you?" Elena inquired now. "Staying with me although I was bleeding?"

"You have no idea how hard," Damon whispered. He remembered how he felt his fangs already protruding and how he'd told the monster inside him that she was already dying. That thought repeating in his head had stopped him from finishing her off.

Elena watched him intently as he got lost in thoughts. She took his hand and squeezed it slightly to get his intention.

I'm really, really, proud of you," she said emphatically, smiling. "For how you've handled the situation although it was so difficult for you. You have a strong self-control."

Damon was about to contradict her, tell her what the monster inside him had urged him to do but when he saw her big, grateful eyes he couldn't. She'd say she was proud of him and that made him feel incredibly happy.

"You did okay, too," he said. "I mean fighting vampires and holding on until I got to you."

"Thanks," she said yawning.

"You better have some rest now."

"I guess so."

Damon wanted to get up and carry her to his bed but the grabbed his arm.

"No, stay," she said simply, holding his gaze again.

He nodded and lay down on the couch. Elena lay down beside down beside him on her side and smiling at him, she snuggled up to him and put on hand on his chest.

"I'm cold," she said, faking a whimper.

Damon grinned and put his arms around her, holding her close to him.

"That's better," she told him, smiling and closed her eyes.

Damon smiled, too. He couldn't quite grasp what was happening to him. A seemingly long while ago Elena had been dying and now, she was here, right in his arms, actually seeking his closeness and he enjoyed it very much.

"Sweet dreams, Elena," he whispered into her ear.

"'u too," she said, already falling asleep.

Damon knew better. He couldn't sleep, not now, so he was watching her sleep, memorizing each of the features of her beautiful appearance. The situation had something of a fairytale. So maybe he was the knight tonight with the beautiful girl in his arms.

* * *

Not long after Elena had fallen asleep she woke up again. She smiled when she looked into Damon's relaxed apparently asleep face, then she turned out of his embrace and sat up.

"Where you goin'?" Damon mumbled suddenly wide awake.

"Just taking care of some human needs," she told him.

"Okay, but hurry. I'm actually getting cold now."

Elena chuckled. She got up and walked a few steps.

"Whoa, head rush," she said and suddenly she collapsed on the floor.

"ELENA!"

* * *

_Now that's quite a cliffhanger, isn't it? I couldn't help but stop here. It's so mean 3 _

_But now the good news: I wasn't that lazy this week. I've actually written two chapters in one again. And I'll post the other one this weekend. Probably tomorrow but not earlier regarding this really mean cliff ;)_

_Oh, by the way, I hope you didn't forget that Elena has quite a big amount of vampire blood in her system... Now she fainted... and oh, her heart better doesn't give out... ;)_


	16. You're All I Need

_So, here is part 2. Elena and Damon get a little closer again^^ Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 16: You're All I Need**

_Find Me Here, speak to me.  
I want to feel you, __I need to hear you  
You are the light that's leading me.  
To the place where I find peace again._

_You are the strength, that keeps me walking.  
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.  
You are the light to my soul.  
You are my purpose...you're everything_

_You calm the storms, and you give me rest.  
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.  
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.  
__Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?_

_How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?  
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?  
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?  
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?_

_You're all I want your all I need  
You're everything_.

* * *

Damon was alert. An hour had passed since Elena had collapsed on his carpet. He had immediately been by her side. Her pulse was very slow, meaning her blood pressure was very low. So he'd picked her up in his arms and brought her to the hospital using vampire speed. She was brought into the ER and Damon had been alone.

His mind had been racing. There was a not insignificant risk that Elena could die… with quite much of his blood in her system.

_Wait_, he had thought, _she's got my blood in her system. The doctors will probably draw some blood to identify her blood type. They'll send it to the lab. Damn!_

He had turned around on his heels and gone straight to lab. He had compelled everyone who started asking questions and demanded to tell them who was doing the blood work. He had found that man in the back of the lab just analyzing blood with the indication 'Elena Gilbert' on it. Damon hadn't hesitated.

"You will find nothing but Elena's blood in her system. Disregard the inhuman part and forget it's ever been in her system. Just analyze the human blood. By the way, it's 0 negative."

He'd never drunk from Elena but he could tell her blood type from the way it smelled. And he'd smelled enough of it tonight. Elena's blood was something special. It appealed to every vampire. It was the sweetest blood he'd ever smelled. Something like that was rare, just like her blood type was.

When the risk of exposure was over Damon had left the lab and walked into the entrance hall of the hospital to take some calls.

First he had called Elena's family of course. Jenna and Jeremy and then he had called Caroline because it was the only number of Elena's friends he'd got and told her to grab Bonnie and Matt and come to the hospital, too.

He'd told both, Jenna and Caroline briefly what had happened. That Elena had collapsed and that the reason was yet unbeknownst to him. After that he'd gone to the waiting area in front of the emergency unit, waiting for them to come, what they did now, exactly one hour after Elena had fainted.

They were all deeply worried about Elena, especially Jenna who was Elena's legal guardian.

"I need to ask you something, Damon," she said earnest. "And please be honest."

"I will," Damon replied absolutely sincerely.

"Okay. Bonnie and Caroline told me you've been at a rock concert with Elena. I know these scenes well because I've once been part of them, too." Damon already knew what she driving at. "Did you take drugs?"

"No, we didn't."

"Did you maybe drink too much?"

"No, we didn't."

"And you're really telling me the truth?"

"Yes, I am, Jenna. I would never lie to you if it was about Elena. We didn't do anything that could have caused this," he answered. Okay, that was a lie but the rest was true.

"Good." Jenna sighed deeply. "I had to ask you that, you know that."

"Yes. Look, the doctors said it could take some time before we can talk to them. So why don't you go and do the paperwork to get it off your mind," Damon suggested, not compelled.

"Yes, I will. Jeremy, you stay here with everyone else. I'll be right back," she told Elena's brother.

"Okay."

Jenna left and as soon as she was gone Bonnie, Caroline, Matt and Jeremy interrogated Damon.

"What happened?"

"What did you do?"

"We did as _you_ told us to do," Damon said angrily to Bonnie, emphasizing the you. He glanced at Matt. He didn't know about vampires and it was better to keep it that way. "We dealt with the problem and Elena took a serious blow."

"What are you talking about, man?" Matt asked. Everyone ignored him.

"Can't you do something?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie chimed in. "Aren't you able to help her? Like Stefan helped me back then?"

"I already did," Damon told them. "I saved her once already. That's the reason she is still alive anyway. But I don't understand why she suddenly collapsed. She was fine before that."

"Maybe you didn't give her enough?" Bonnie suggested accusingly.

"_Enough?_" Damon repeated incredulously. "Come with me."

He ordered everyone except Matt to follow him into a corner of the hall.

"Sorry, Matt," Bonnie apologized to him. "But it's a secret we cannot share, you know."

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled.

Damon took a deep breath. "I gave her enough. If I'd given her any more she would've turned into a vampire on the spot. There's a risk with giving humans vampire blood. It can heal their injuries, true, but too much of it can change their own blood."

"And what now?!" Caroline asked. "That's it?! We can't do anything but sit hear and wait for her to survive or die?!"

Damon looked guiltily at the floor. "There's something else I need to tell you," he said hesitantly. "There's another risk of feeding humans vampire blood."

Jeremy recalled the conversation he'd recently had with Damon and Elena.

"You mean? Oh!"

"What? What does he mean?" Bonnie demanded.

"If she dies now with my blood in her system she won't stop existing. She'll still be around… as a vampire."

Bonnie and Caroline's eyes widened in horror.

"Can't you do something to prevent that from happening?"

"Nope. If her heart stops beating for only a second she'll complete the transformation."

"Oh my god…" Bonnie was shocked. "How can you be so calm about it?!"

"Calm?!" Damon repeated, growing angry again. "I'm not calm! I can't stop thinking about it! I never wanted Elena to become a vampire. I wanted to save her. I promised her I'd take her of her while she had my blood in her system… that she wouldn't die. But this is out of my hands. She collapsed and nobody knows why, including me. If you really must know I'm scared to death."

Bonnie's face changed. The anger vanished and something like sympathy replaced it. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"That's why I summoned all of you here," Damon told them calmer now. "If she really died her family and friends who didn't know her secret should be able to say goodbye to her. But you, you know it but I guessed you'd wanted to be here anyway."

"You were right about that. I want to be here," Caroline said.

"Did you call Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

"Can't reach him," Damon answered, lying. "But it doesn't matter. It's not like he's never gonna see her again, right?"

Damon looked at the floor again. He had terrible pangs of guilt. _If only_, he kept telling himself, _if only I'd killed that vampire earlier._

Absent-mindedly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see it was Jeremy's.

"I don't blame you for what you did. By giving her your blood you saved her. Now we won't lose her no matter what happens."

Damon was silent. He couldn't agree with him.

* * *

They sat silently beside each other, waiting for what felt like ages until finally someone with a medical degree approached them. Jenna and Damon jumped to their feet.

"How is she?" Jenna asked nervously.

"She's alive. We stabilized her," the doctor told them.

Everyone let out of breath they seemed to have held for hours. But Damon wasn't completely relieved yet.

"Did her heart give out?"

"No, I just told you'd saved her."

"Not even for a second? I'm sorry but it's important."

"No," the doctor answered. "Never. She's a strong person with a strong system."

Now Damon slumped back onto his seat. All the pressure fell off him.

"Thanks, doc."

"May we–?" Jenna began.

"Yes, but not more than three at a time," the doctor told them.

Jenna nodded. The doctor left and Damon got up again.

"Family before everyone else," Matt said irritated.

"No, it's okay," Jeremy said. "Damon saved her so he should be the first to see her."

Jenna looked at him suspiciously because of the word 'saved' but agreed.

"I'll make it quick," Damon promised and opened the door to Elena's room.

He entered and closed the door almost soundlessly. Then he turned around and looked at the scene in front of him. Elena was lying in a bed with white blankets. A tube led from a little machine to her nose, supplying her with oxygen and another beeping machine was monitoring her heart rate but aside from that Elena was fine.

He slowly walked up to her bed and took a seat beside her. Although she was in such a bad condition right now he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked when she was sleeping. He had gotten to see her like this several times already but each time was precious. She looked completely at peace whereas she usually was so worried.

Carefully not really daring to touch her he took her hand and squeezed it. As if it'd been her cue Elena opened her eyes now.

"Damon?" she whispered questioningly. She was obviously confused. "What happened? Why am I in a hospital?"

"I don't know how much you remember," Damon began. "You were attacked by a vampire and I saved you by feeding you some of my blood but then you collapsed."

Damon's voice had gotten very quiet at the end. Watching Elena collapse had scared him. Elena nodded. That was everything she remembered, too. She looked at him, scrutinized him as if she was searching for something in his face.

"You look depressed."

She wasn't sure if 'depressed' was the right word to describe Damon no matter in which situation.

"It doesn't matter." Damon waved it off, faking a smile. "Look, everyone's waiting for you outside so I'll go now but I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

He gave her a smile which she returned and gave her hand a last squeeze before he got up and left but not without taking a last look at her.

* * *

As promised he came back the day after early in the morning. He just couldn't wait any longer. Though he knew she was alright he felt the urge to check up on her. At ten in the morning he went to the intensive care unit to find out that Elena had been transferred to a normal unit. He was relieved to hear it and went straight to the new room. When he opened the door he found Elena awake and when he entered she smiled.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey." He walked over to her, taking a seat in the chair next to her bed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine! Thanks for asking!" she answered excitedly.

"Did you get at least some sleep last night?" he asked amused.

"Rather too much, I guess. Or they gave me something while I was asleep. Or it's you blood in my system that makes me feel so alive and cheerful," she concluded.

"I go for drugs."

Elena laughed but then she stopped when she saw the depressed expression from the day before back on his face.

"Don't look so sad."

"It was a bad idea to feed you my blood," Damon said with audible remorse in his voice.

"No, it wasn't. You saved me."

"I didn't save you, Elena," he contradicted, looking sternly at her. "We both know what would have happened if you'd died last night. It was foolish to accept the risk. Being a vampire is much worse than death, believe me."

"That coming out of your mouth," Elena replied surprised.

"I only just realized it."

He couldn't stand to look into her eyes anymore and stared at the blanket instead.

"I understand. You were scared," he heard Elena's soft voice. "I'm sorry."

He couldn't take it anymore. His eyes were burning. He blinked furiously. Then he raised his head and looked straight into her eyes.

"Yes," he admitted. "I was scared. I've never been so scared before. But don't apologize. You're making it worse."

He blinked again. Damn, he thought, that can't be happening now.

Blinking didn't help to hide his feelings from Elena. She held his gaze, staring deep into his eyes and saw what was filling up in them.

"Oh, no, Damon, don't," she said and pulled him into a tight hug. Damon didn't stop her. He let himself sink into her embrace and rested his head on her shoulder. She rubbed his back soothingly and he closed his eyes. A tear ran down his face and he was glad Elena couldn't see it.

"What are you doing to me, Elena?" he asked tortured.

"Comforting."

"That's not what I mean. I mean, I don't do this."

"What? Cry?"

She let go of him and cupped his face with her hands instead, still staring into his sad eyes.

"It's okay. You went through a lot last night. You let it get to you. All the emotions you held back let them go now. Let it all go," she whispered.

Damon leant against her again and Elena put his arms around him again. But he wasn't crying anymore. The turmoil of emotions inside him was already subsiding thanks to Elena. She didn't know it but she was healing him. Her warm embrace alone was helping him so much. And he also felt a pang of guilt. Elena was giving him so much but he could never give her so much back.

He removed himself from her and leant back in his chair with his eyes never leaving hers. Elena leant back into the pillows, took his hand and squeezed it tightly. Damon wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed back. That was exactly the reason why he hadn't called Stefan. He wanted to be the one beside her and hold her hand.

"Thank you, Damon," Elena said.

"For what?" he asked confused.

"For not wanting me to become a vampire," she answered smiling. "It means a lot to me."

"I didn't always not want you to become a vampire, you know," he told her. "There was a time when I wanted to turn you because I thought you could replace Katherine somehow but then I realized that you could never be her and appreciated it."

That time seemed to be so long ago that he could hardly remember it. It seemed like he'd always been with Elena, enjoying her company.

Elena was still smiling and as ridiculous as it was Damon had to laugh. Once again all the pressure fell off him and he felt incredibly relaxed. He grinned at Elena and she grinned back, happy that he was back to his usual self.

* * *

That evening Elena was released from the hospital at her own risk. She didn't go home, but went with Damon to the manor for the sleepover she still owed him.

They sat all evening on the couch by the fireplace, not talking, not moving, just staring into the fire. Although it wasn't even midnight yet Elena felt sleepy. She stretched herself and leant back against Damon who smiled and leant himself against her.

"And if I fall asleep…" she started.

"I won't move," he finished the sentence for her.

"Right," she said and rested her head on his shoulder.

Damon rested his head on hers and closed his eyes.

Soon both of them fell asleep.

* * *

_Somehow I think Damon is very OOC in this chapter. I hope he's not too strange... but there's only so much even a Damon can take so I think it's okay to let him cry a single tear^^_

_Now some bad news: School starts this Monday again. That means no writing for a long time. Maybe I'll make it on the weekend but I can't promise anything. All I can promise is that the next chapter will include a little surprise. So you have something to look forward to._

_So long goodbye_

_Asu_


	17. I Know You By Heart

_I'm back! With a new chapter. More about that later._

_First, school's killing me but in a good way. I got several tests and exams back and received great marks. I even managed to get an A in English which didn't happen in far too long. Well, now, you know (if you didn't check my profile first xD) English isn't my maternal language. It's German but someday I want to inmigrate to the U.S and that's why I'm trying to become as good at speaking and writting English as if I'd been living there all my life. You tell me how close I am to my goal :)_

_Now to the chapter: Well, I have a little problem. I already wrote this last Sunday but didn't have time to upload it before. The thing is this chapter is actually 20 handwritten pages in DIN A 4 long. I don't know how it will turn out in WORD but I guess it will still be much. So I cut it into three parts which I'll upload one after the other. I guess it's better that way than having to read and read and read without ever reaching the end of the chapter. So here is the first part. I promised you a surprise and you're lucky it's already in the first part, together with some Delena... fluffyness... Is that the right word for it? I guess it is. So, enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 17: ****I Know You By Heart**

_Midnights in Winter  
The glowing fire  
Lights up your face in orange and gold.  
I see your sweet smile  
Shine through the darkness  
It's line is etched in my memory._

_So I'd know you by heart._

_Mornings in April  
Sharing our secrets  
We'd walk until the morning was gone.  
We were like children  
Laughing for hours  
The joy you gave me lives on and on._

_'Cause I know you by heart.

* * *

_

When Elena woke up the next morning she was no longer sitting on the couch in the parlor but lying in a bed – in Damon's bed. Her body was snuggled up to his and her head was resting on his bar chest.

_What the…_

In a jolt she changed into a sitting position. She clutched her heart which was beating fast and took deep breaths, trying not to freak out. What had happened last night? Why was she lying in Damon's bed with Damon right beside her? And why wasn't he wearing his shirt?

"Elena, calm down," Damon's sleepy voice sounded beside her. "The sound of your beating heart is like a jackhammer in my ears." Groaning he sat up and eyed Elena worried. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I'm _in_ a nightmare," Elena corrected and jumped out of the bed. She looked down at herself to find that she was fully dressed and her necklace was where it belonged as well.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked confused. "What's wrong with you?"

"What did you do last night?" Elena interrogated him.

"Huh?"

"Did you something to me? Did you compel me to do… whatever. Did you?"

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Damon asked sincerely.

"Okay, then why do I wake up, in your bed, with you topless?" she inquired directly.

Damon stared at her for a moment then he burst out laughing.

"It's not funny."

"Actually, it is," Damon said. "Did you think that we…"

"No! I mean yes. I mean… Stop confusing me!" Damon was still laughing. "And stop laughing! I feel completely humiliated," she added offended.

Damon cleared his throat and put on a serious expression.

"You can calm down. We didn't do anything. I didn't do anything. I brought us here because it's much more comfortable and I didn't want to wake up with a stiff neck," he explained. "And this," he added, pointing at his bare chest. "is how I always sleep. But if it bothers you so much I'll put on a shirt."

"It doesn't bother me." Those words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. She instantly regretted to have said them when she became aware of the ambiguity.

Damon put on a cocky grin. "I knew you'd like my dashing body."

"Shut up, will you?" Elena said pointedly. "And get dressed, please," she added and sat down on the bed with her back turned on him.

"Come on, admit it, honey," Damon whispered into her ear. His breath was grazing her neck. A shudder ran down her spine. He was unbearable close. "I'm irresistible."

Now Elena was laughing. "You wish."

"Deny it all you want, Elena. I know better. You're attracted to me. You've always been."

Elena turned around to face him and spit something back but when her face was only inches away from him she forgot all she wanted to say and swallowed hard. She quickly turned around and got up.

"I need to check if the verveine withered," she said more to herself than to Damon.

"Now it's getting ridiculous, Elena," Damon said shaking his head. "I swear, I didn't invade your personal space. It would do you good to trust me once in a while."

"I do trust you," Elena affirmed. "I was just confused… Let's just forget it, okay?"

"Gladly."

Damon put on a shirt while Elena admired the beautiful view from his room. She was so lost in the scenery that she didn't notice Damon creeping up on her. She just felt his arms encircle her and startled. He was hugging her from behind.

"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?"

Elena swallowed hard again and tried not to show him how nervous she was with him being so close.

"Yes…"

Damon rested his head on her shoulder. "Elena?"

"Yes…?"

"You might wanna go see a doctor," he said. "You might be suffering from arrhythmia."

Elena gave it up. She just ignored his remark and continued to stare outside. Soon she had calmed down. _We're just hugging_, she told herself. _We've done that several times._ And she didn't feel uncomfortable in his embrace. She actually felt herself lean against him.

* * *

She didn't know for how long they'd been standing there, hugging and looking outside. After a while Damon offered to make her breakfast and she gladly accepted it.

"Do you have anything edible for humans here?" Elena asked and sat down at the counter.

"Let's see," Damon said and opened the refrigerator. "We have A positive… B negative… and AB negative. Which one do you prefer?"

"I guess I'll have breakfast at home."

"Just kidding," Damon said. "Give me some minutes."

Elena watched him fascinated making her breakfast. He cooked bacon and eggs and served her orange juice.

"Who taught you how to cook?" she asked curiously.

"I taught myself," he answered. "Even if I'm a vampire that mostly feeds on blood it doesn't mean I can't enjoy the taste of good human food."

He walked over to her, put two plates with bacon and eggs onto the counter and took a seat opposite to Elena.

"Buon appetito," he said.

Elena grabbed her fork and started eating. She wasn't surprised to find that it tasted as good as the last time he had cooked for her.

"This is really good," she told him.

"Thanks. Glad you like it," Damon said and emptied his glass of orange juice.

"I think I'll go home now," Elena announced after they had finished breakfast.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Damon asked.

"No, I can get home by myself. And the last time I checked you, Pearl and Anna are the only vampires around that have such a ring."

"True," Damon said. "And the remaining vampires probably scooted after you kicked their friend's ass."

"Yeah!"

They got up. Elena picked her back up and Damon walked her to the door.

"So… I'll be seeing you," Elena said shyly.

Damon nodded. "I'm always everywhere you go."

Elena felt her cheeks blush. "There's no need to. I can take care of myself and if not I'll call you."

"As you wish." He shrugged.

"So… bye, Damon," Elena said.

"Bye, Elena."

Elena wanted to turn around and leave but she didn't do so. She was staring into Damon's eyes, unable to move. Damon tilted his head to the side, looking at her amused. He just wanted to open his mouth to ask her what was keeping her there when she snapped out of her trance. She pecked him and quickly walked to her car. Before she got in she raised her head to look back at him. He was smiling. She returned the smile, got into her car and drove away.

* * *

Damon closed the front door. He had an embarrassing dreamy expression on his face and shook his head to snap out of it. If he didn't know better he would say Elena was using compulsion on him. She was doing something to him that he couldn't describe. She awakened long forgotten feelings inside him. She was making him feel human again.

He walked into the kitchen and put the dished into the dishwasher. Then he opened the refrigerator and took out a blood bag. That reminded him that he wasn't human no matter how much he wished to be one again. Now he understood what his brother had been going through all the time but Stefan was closer to humanity because he didn't feed on human blood.

Lost in thoughts he put the now empty bag into the trash, walked into the parlor and slumped on the couch. He'd once tried to do the Stefan diet but found it a) weakening him and b) unnecessary but now… Did he need to be strong at all? He wasn't constantly fighting anymore. Like he had said the remaining vampires they hadn't killed probably fled. And as far as he could tell he didn't have any enemies aside from Alaric Saltzman which he hadn't seen for a while. Maybe he could try it again. Stefan would be proud of him and Elena, too.

Speaking of Stefan… why was he suddenly feeling his presence near by? He didn't… or did he?

A moment later Damon's questioned was answered when the front door opened and Stefan entered. He entered the parlor and was surprised to find Damon in there.

"You're back?"

"As you can see," Damon said. "What brought _you_ back?"

"Do I need a reason to come home?" Stefan asked him, dropped his baggage next to Damon on the couch and froze.

"Was Elena here?"

"Yeah," Damon answered. "She stayed over night."

"_What?!_"

Suddenly Stefan grabbed Damon by the throat, whirled him around and pinned him against the wall. For a second bewilderment flickered in Damon's eyes as he stared into Stefan's – he found something in there that shouldn't be there – but then they were holding boredom as usual.

"Relax," he told his brother. "I didn't touch her. In case you haven't noticed we have a vampire problem – no pun intended – and I didn't think it was a good idea to let her drive home all by herself as she refused to let me drive her. So she slept over. Could you let me go now, please?"

Stefan let him go but still wasn't convinced that nothing had happened between his brother and Elena.

"Why was she here in the first place?" he inquired suspiciously.

Damon had two options. Either he would tell him of his hunting sessions with Elena or he'd make up a story. He chose option II and decided to pull some strings.

"I threw a belated birthday party for her, okay? At least one of us should acknowledge that she turned eighteen a few days ago."

"I sent her a message," Stefan defended himself.

"Whooo, a message. I guess she was really happy about a message instead of a visit," Damon with sarcasm.

"I couldn't come. I was–"

"Busy, yeah. She told me. And what were you so busy with?"

"I knew the vampires escaped from the tomb. I don't know their agenda. They might want to take over the town. So I traveled around and found allies. One of them is Lexi's boyfriend. Do you know him?"

"Lexi's boyfriend?" Damon repeated. "No, never met him."

"Well, he's staying around and will help us if the other vampires attempt something," Stefan explained.

_Bravo_, Damon thought. _You're about two months too late._

"So what brought you back? How did your search for Katherine go? Did you find her?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"That bad, huh?"

"Just drop it, will you?" Damon said irritated. "Go and do something useful. Like paying a visit to your girlfriend. I'm sure she'll jump into your arms considering how much she missed you."

Damon could hardly control himself. All the anger he was holding inside was clearly audible in his voice.

"I was just going to do that," Stefan said. He took a look around the parlor and sighed. "Elena partying with you… A lot must have changed while I was gone."

_Yeah, wait for the biggie_, Damon thought and couldn't hide his grin. However he didn't dare to tell it to Stefan because his brother seemed to be on edge right now.

"See you later," Stefan said and left. Once he heard Stefan driving away Damon grabbed the lamp on the table next to the couch and smashed it against the wall.

_Why_, he thought bitterly. _Why does he have to come back now?

* * *

_

_Sorry^^° Well, he had to come back eventually. Poor Damon. Now that he's gotten so close to Elena... _

_Well, I have nothing more to say. On to the next part!  
_


	18. I'm Not Over You

_Another day, another chapter. The story goes on. Enjoy^^_

* * *

**Chapter 18:**** I'm Not Over You**

_I'm not over you just yet  
Cannot hide it  
You're not that easy to forget  
I'm not over

* * *

_

Elena was sitting on her bed, writing in her diary. So much had happened over the past days that she had to write down.

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm home again!_

_The last three days were nerve-wracking._

_Starting with my birthday and Damon's unbelievable presents: roses, a copy of Breaking Benjamin's latest album and the best, a road trip to Atlanta, including a concert of above-mentioned band. It was so much… I was somewhere between happy and in heaven… I always feel very elated around him but on that trip it was stronger than ever before. I was so happed that I would have liked to hug Damon tightly and never let him go. I would have never thought that he could awake such strong feelings inside me. He makes me feel alive. He makes me feel like before my parents' death. _

_When we got home all hell broke lose. We learnt from Bonnie and Caroline that they were attacked by vampires. I didn't hesitate and wanted to hunt and kill the blood suckers. Damon wouldn't let me at first because I wasn't prepared but I could persuade him in the end. Was he actually scared that something would happen to me?_

_Killing the vampires was awesome! I staked five of them on my own and felt pretty invincible._

_I was obviously feeling too safe. Suddenly Damon was gone and a vampire attacked me. I lost my stake and couldn't shake him off. He bit me and sucked my blood. It was awful! It hurt beyond imagination and I was so scared of dying. But then Damon appeared and killed the bastard. He looked so desperate when he saw my wound like he was scared of losing me. His voice sounded desperate, too when he ordered me to drink his blood. I refused at first because that if I died for some reason with his blood in my system I would irrevocably turn into a vampire and I didn't want that by all means. But Damon didn't give up trying. He made the biggest promise to me. That he would take care of me and wouldn't let me die. I looked into his eyes and saw the fear and determination in them and drank his blood. Once I was stable we went to Damon's and he cared for me. He was so sweet! He got me new clothes, helped me to get rid of the blood on my skin – in short he was the perfect gentleman. He told me to get some rest and wanted to leave but I didn't want him to leave. I practically begged him to stay and he did. We lay down on the couch in the parlor and I snuggled up to him. He put his arms around me and I felt perfectly safe. It didn't bother me at all that it was Damon's arms I was lying in. I didn't want to be with anyone else than him in that moment, not even Stefan._

_I think I'm finally over Stefan. He congratulated me via text message and I didn't care. I guess I'm forgetting him and moving on. _

_Anyway, Damon and I slept on the couch for a while. Then I felt like I had to pee and got up. Suddenly I felt dizzy and darkness surrounded me. Later Damon told me I collapsed. I woke up in the hospital with Damon by my side. I was glad to see him but he had a really depressing look on his face. He was so full of remorse for feeding me his blood. He told me how scared he had been that I could die and become a vampire because he never wanted me to become one. I was happy to hear him say it because I knew he once wanted to turn me to replace Katherine. Damon was so upset that his emotions took control of him. I saw tears fill his eyes and hugged him tightly. Seeing Damon so depressed was making me depressed, too. I didn't want him to be sad. I wanted him to smirk and joke around like always which he fortunately did after a while. _

_Last night I was released from the hospital but I didn't want to go home. I'd promised Damon a sleepover the other day and I wanted to keep it. It was really nothing more than a sleepover because I quickly fell asleep._

_Then this morning I woke up with a shock. I was lying with Damon in his bed! And he was topless! I thought he'd taken advantage of me but he'd just brought us to his room so that we wouldn't have it so uncomfortable. Damon was disappointed that I didn't trust him but was also fooling around like always. Saying things like I was attracted to him. It was very embarrassing because my body reacted to his touch. Damon was obviously enjoying it. But I came to the conclusion that it wasn't that bad. We didn't do anything, just hugging, like friends. Okay, maybe a little tighter but it didn't feel wrong. Kill me, I actually liked it. I can't even believe it. I like to be close to Damon Salvatore._

_Maybe I should call Stefan and ask him to come back… or maybe not. _

_When we were finished talking about this embarrassing moment Damon made breakfast. It tasted delicious like everytime he cooks. I would have liked to spend the whole day with Damon but I realized that I should go home and let Jenna and Jeremy check up on me. So I did. Damon kindly walked me to the door. Standing outside my feet wouldn't move. I really didn't want to go. I lost myself in Damon's eyes and when I snapped out of it I kissed Damon's cheek. I wanted to thank him for everything he'd done the last couple of days. When I reached the car I looked back at him to see that he was smiling. Even more than that, he had a cute, dreamy expression on his face. So he liked it and I'm happy he did. _

_I feel a little weird. I know something's happening to me but I can't figure it out. All I know that it has to do with Damon and that it feels great.

* * *

_

Elena heard voices from downstairs and closed her diary. Then her phone rang. She picked it up from the bedside table to find a text message from Damon. She smiled and opened it. Was he already missing her?

**Stefan's back and on his way to you. **

Elena's face fell. She hit reply.

**Thanks. That came about ten seconds too late.**

She hit send just when the door opened and Stefan entered.

"Stefan!" She pretended to be surprised. "You're back!"

"I'm back," he confirmed and hugged her tightly. He let go of her after some seconds passed and studied her face. "You look shocked."

"Yeah, I am," she told him. "I didn't expect you to come back before ten years at the earliest. Damon told me you usually stay away longer."

"Yeah, usually I do but I changed my habits," he replied.

"Why did you come back?" she asked trying to hide her anger about it.

"Well, for one thing I felt guilty because I wasn't there on your birthday But I heard Damon filled in for me."

"Yes, he did."

"And for the other something weird happened the night before last. I felt like something bad had happened to you and I couldn't help but check up on you," he concluded apologetically.

Elena stared at him. He had felt it when she was about to die? She hadn't realized that their connection was already so strong and she felt guilty because she wanted to forget him just before he had entered her room. She reached out to hug Stefan tightly.

"I missed you." She realized it now. Damon had distracted her well enough to not think about it all the time but deep within her she had missed Stefan and longed for him.

"I missed you, too," Stefan whispered and hugged her back.

After a while they let go of each other but were still holding hands.

"So you're staying?" Elena asked.

"I'm staying."

"For how long?"

"For good."

"For good?" Elena repeated appalled. What was wrong with her? One moment she was happy Stefan was back and the other she thought of how little she would see of Damon with Stefan back.

"Yes, for good," Stefan affirmed. "Something wrong?"

"No. No, it just sounded too good to be true," Elena lied.

Stefan smiled. "I will never leave you again, I promise."

_Never? As in never? Maybe it's the best_, she told herself. _I've been with Stefan all the time despite his absence. We didn't break up. And Damon and I, we're just friends. We don't have to hang out all the time. _

"And what did you do?" Elena asked, genuinely interested. "Where have you been the last couple of months?"

"Oh, I've traveled around the states. I was visiting friends and finding allies," he explained to her. "Because I think the vampires from the tomb are up to something."

"Oh really?" Elena was about to tell him that most of the vampires are dead when her cell phone rang. She glanced at it. Damon had texted her again.

"I'm sorry, it's Bonnie," she said apologetically. "Apparently she's bored. Caroline's with Matt and she keeps asking me to go shopping with her."

"It's okay," Stefan said smiling. "Go ahead. Text her back."

"Thanks." Elena grabbed her phone and read Damon's message.

**Don't tell him of our hunting sessions. **

Elena sighed frustrated, flashed a smile to Stefan and texted Damon back.

**You really need to work on the timing.**

She hit send and smiled at Stefan. He smiled back and hugged her again.

"I'm sorry but I really missed you."

He nuzzled his nose into her neck, causing Elena to giggle. She lay back on the bed, pulling Stefan with her and kissed him. He kissed her hungrily back. Elena felt herself heating up. How she had missed this! She pulled Stefan closer and kissed him passionately –

Again her phone rang and she quickly straightened up to grab it.

"Well now it's starting to be irritating," she grumbled.

"A little," Stefan agreed smiling.

Elena stared at him and dropped her phone. His face was different. Starting with his eyes that were darker as usual.

"Your face…"

"What about it? You know it always happens when we are passionate," Stefan said.

Elena knew that of course but for the first time it scared her to see him like this. She thought if was different from the way it changed usually and the difference was scaring her.

She forced herself to avert her gaze and read Damon's message instead.

**I think that was enough. The welcome back party is over. Tell your boyfriend to leave. I'm not joking. I mean it. I need to talk to you. Alone. Now.**

_He couldn't have been more precise_, Elena thought and hit reply.

**You'd better have a good reason. **

She hit send and sighed.

"I think it's the best if I just hang out with her today," she said to Stefan. "She won't stop bugging us."

"No problem," said Stefan. "We have plenty of time now that I'm back."

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to drive you to her house?"

"Oh no, I'll take my car. I've got a new one," she told him beaming.

"I saw it. Looks great. Okay, so I'll be seeing you."

"Yes."

They kissed and Stefan left. Elena lay back on the bed, sighing. She heard Stefan's car drive away and a second later Damon was standing in front of her. She sat up.

"What's this all about?" she demanded.

Damon frowned. "You shouldn't be seeing him for a while."

"What? Why? He just came back."

"Something's different about him," he told her. "I have a hunch but no proof yet."

"I noticed it, too. He was acting a bit weird," Elena agreed. "And his face…"

"Yeah, I saw it."

"_What?! Did you peep on us?!_" Elena flared up.

"I was worried about you, okay?" Damon replied irritated. "I wanted to be there in case anything happens."

"So what do you think I wrong with him?" Elena wanted to know.

Damon sighed deeply. "I don't know how to break it to you, Elena… but I think he fed on human blood."

"_What?!_"

"His behavior – did you noticed how many times he hugged you? I bet he just wanted to get close to your pretty neck – and then the change of his face and I noticed he's gotten stronger," Damon concluded.

Elena was dismayed. "But why? He wouldn't…"

"I don't know but I'm pretty sure about it. That's why I think you shouldn't be close to him anytime soon until I talked to him about it."

"But–"

"No buts, Elena," Damon cut her off. "We can't let him get close to you! He's too dangerous. What if he can't control himself and bites you? Then everything will be worse because he will become obsessed with your blood and drain you completely. Do you want that?"

"No. I just… I don't him to get through this alone," Elena said. "I want to help him."

"I know but right now you can't do anything but wait," he said and put her hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "I'll talk to him and then I'll try to get him back on his road."

"Okay."

"Don't worry you're pretty head," Damon said. "Everything will be fine."

And then he left. He was heading straight for the woods. He was hungry mostly because he was unnerved at the thought of his brother drinking human blood. It wasn't right. Damon looked out for something bigger than a bunny to feed on. He had had a change of heart and hour ago. He would only feed on animals as long as he could. He wanted to be better than Stefan.

* * *

_Now isn't that an interesting turn of events? XD Sorry, I find myself quoting Damon once in a while XD_

_I think it's pretty clear now that Elena is indecisive about who she wants to be with. Either her boyfriend who seems to be rather into her blood than anything else or Damon who is obviously worried about her. _

_Well, that matter will reach its peak next chapter. So, stay tuned XD_


	19. Hopeless

Finally part 3 of that really long chapter. Phew...

Well, I told you the question who Elena wants to be with would be solved soon. It is now in this chapter, however like always just temporally.

By the way, thank you so much for 130 reviews!!! I didn't notice we passed 100 some time ago. I'm so so happy! Thank you so much! You make me feel so proud and always encourage me to continue to write even if I have a writer's block. I very much hope that this will not change in the future!

But future's so far away. Let's enjoy the present first and with it this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 19:**** Hopeless**

_Here I lie forever  
Sorrow still remains  
Will the water pull me down and wash it all away?  
Come and take me over  
Welcome to the game  
Will the current drag me down and carry me away?  
__Suddenly the light begins to fade_

_Safe to say it's over  
Sink into the grave  
There's nothing left inside  
I can hear the devil call my name_

_Hopeless, I'm falling down  
Filthy, I can't wake up  
I cannot hold on  
Worthless, it's over now  
Guilty, there's no way out  
I cannot hold on

* * *

_

He stayed out all day and didn't return home before nightfall. When he stepped over the threshold he knew something was wrong. The scent of fresh human blood was all over the house. Like someone had thrown a vamp party in there. Damon expected the worst and started looking for his brother. He found him in the parlor, sitting on the couch and reading a book.

"Welcome home," Stefan greeted him.

Damon didn't answer. He stopped in front of Stefan and simply stared at him.

"Something wrong?" Stefan asked calmly and turned a page.

"I guess so…" Damon said and then he felt like a lever was switched in his head. He hurried into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

"What the…?"

He had stored at least four blood bags in there. Four! And now they were all gone. Damon closed the fridge, took a deep breath and walked back into the parlor. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Um, Stefan?"

"Mmm?"

"Did you… by any chance notice… that the whole house reeks of blood? Human blood?" he specified.

"Oh, the smell must come from the trash. I just take it out," Stefan said, closed the book and got up.

"What? No!" Damon said and pushed him back on the couch. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me why all I can smell in here is blood."

Stefan sighed. "Well, I actually need to talk to you about something."

"_Oh really?_" Damon mocked, sat down on a stool opposite of him and looked at him sternly. "Go ahead then."

"Well, um," Stefan began. "Something happened while I was traveling around."

"_What_ happened?"

"At some point I… wasn't near the woods or any zoo and I hadn't fed for a week… The hunger increased steadily…

Stefan's voice sounded desperate now as he told Damon of his darkest hour in a long time. Damon already knew the end of the story.

"There's a period of time I can't remember," Stefan continued. "About five minutes… I can only remember everything after that."

"After _what?_" Damon asked, encouraging his brother to go on. Talking about it might help him, he figured.

"Stefan buried his hand in his hands. "I lost control… I attacked someone and… and I killed her."

Damon nodded. That was what he had been assumed all along. He had been able to tell from the ways Stefan's eyes had looked when he had seen him this morning. They were even darker now.

"So you finally remembered what you really are. Was about time. Squirrels are gonna miss you," Damon joked but his facial expression was serious.

"That's not funny," Stefan replied in pain. "Ever since I have that hunger I can't control it. I emptied your stores and it didn't help in the least."

"Yeah, thanks for that," Damon said. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"That's why I came home," Stefan told him. "I hoped you could help me."

Damon laughed darkly. "Help you? I can't help you with it, Stefan. You need to learn how to control it on your own and this only works if you feed regularly."

"I don't think I can ever control it," Stefan replied. "It took me months to control it last time and that was not long after we were turned. But now after I did without it for more than a century the hunger increases by a thousand times. You can't imagine–"

"Oh yes, I can," Damon cut him off. "Remember when you locked me up in the cellar with the verveine? I didn't feed for a week and I thought I was going to die and when I was free and fed I couldn't get enough of it. I drained five or six humans and it still wasn't enough. I know exactly how you feel."

"How did you calm down?" Stefan asked.

"I fed everyday two times from there on. Like I said, feeding regularly decreases the need."

"But I can't!"

"Here we go again," Damon groaned.

"No, really, I can't," Stefan insisted. "You didn't see me back then. Our ways parted after we were turned. I did so many things that I'm not proud of."

"Do you think it was easy for me?" Damon said angrily. "It wasn't."

"But you got it better under control. Maybe because you wanted it all along."

"That's what I'm talking about," Damon said. "Stop struggling and start living the life of a real vampire."

Stefan shook his head vehemently and stared at the ground. Damon groaned in frustration. He sighed and looked at his little brother who was lost in thoughts. Damon's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms.

"Why do I have the feeling that there's more to it?"

Stefan sighed. "Because there is." He raised his head to meet Damon's gaze. "Elena…" he began. "When I'm with her I want to–"

A loud gasp interrupted them. Damon cranked his head and Stefan turned his head hastily around to find Elena standing shocked in the hallway. When the two vampires became aware of her presence she turned around and bolted through the door.

"Elena!" two voices called after her.

Stefan got up but Damon pushed him down on the couch.

"You stay here!" he ordered. "You'd do more harm than good."

* * *

Elena was desperately trying to find the right key to her car. It was difficult because she was trembling. If it wasn't already bad enough it was raining buckets. It took her only two minutes to be soaked from head to toe.

"Elena," a soft voice came from behind her.

She turned around to find Damon standing in front of her. He looked sadly at her. His eyes held so much pity for her that she couldn't bear it and burst out into tears.

"Damon…"

She put her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him, sobbing hard and seeking his comfort. Damon put his arms around her and hugged her tightly, rubbing her back soothingly. None of them cared that they were standing in the rain.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "That you had to listen to it."

He was still perplexed that she had been there listening all along. He had been so lost in Stefan's story that he hadn't felt her presence. Thank god, Stefan hadn't either. He was so wracked right. If Damon hadn't been there he had probably lunged at Elena in bloodlust and even if she had survived his attack she wouldn't have been safe. Once Stefan would taste her blood he would become obsessed with it.

"I shouldn't have come," Elena sobbed. "I'm sorry. You told me to stay away but I… I didn't want to believe…"

"I know," Damon said. "I know…"

She raised her head to look at him with tears in her eyes. The sight broke Damon's heart. He couldn't bear to see her like this. So sad… so broken…

"How do we go on from here?" she whispered and her voice broke several times.

"I'll try to get him back on track," Damon told her. "And until we manage that I don't want you to come here anymore. If there's news I'll tell you. But until then you have wait, okay?"

"Okay…"

She let go of him and wiped her tears away.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" he offered.

"No, it's okay," she declined. "I've got this. And don't drop by later. I want to be alone for a while." Damon nodded. Elena sighed. "If you hadn't been there I probably wouldn't… but you've been there and I'm so glad. Thank you."

Damon simply nodded again. He couldn't think of anything she could thank him for. It had been coincidental that they both had been there at the same time. He opened the driver's door for her with a small encouraging smile on his lips.

"Take care."

"I will, thanks," she said.

* * *

She got into her car and drove away and Damon went back inside. Stefan was already waiting for him in the hallway.

"What was that?" he demanded angrily. He had obviously been watching them.

"Comforting."

"Why do you get to hug and comfort her and I don't?"

"Because I have myself under control," Damon said pointedly. "Whereas you are farther from control I've ever been. You were already dangerously close to her this morning. What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I wouldn't," Stefan replied. "Never."

"Yeah, tell that to your hunger," Damon said, not convinced at all. "Look, I'm willing to help you but you have to make an important decision, Stefan. What do crave more? Elena's blood or her love and trust? What do you really want?"

* * *

When Elena arrived at home she went straight to her bedroom and locked the door. Her body has been trembling all the way. Now her legs gave in. She broke down on the floor, sobbing violently. She was shocked. It all seemed like a terrible nightmare except that she wasn't asleep. She was awake and had to face the cruelty of reality. What had happened to her beloved Stefan? How could a taste of human blood change a person so drastically? Damon was in control so why wasn't Stefan? She couldn't understand it all. All she knew was that for the first time in her life she had been afraid. She was scared of Stefan.

How could they go on from there? She couldn't imagine herself being with Stefan again. How was he ever going to regain her trust? Elena didn't know. Her little fairytale with the good guy that was winning over his dark side collapsed in front of her like a card house in the wind. Tears ran uncontrollably down her face. She sought nothing more than comfort right now. She wished for strong arms around her and a soft voice telling her that everything was going to be fine. And somehow the image of Damon entered her mind. Her prayers seemed to be answered when strong arms really did encircle her and hugged her tightly. Elena leant into the embrace and her hands desperately grasped the leather for hold.

"I told you – not to – come," she said between sobs.

"I know," the voice that belonged to the strong arms replied. "But I came anyway." Damon gently placed a kiss into her hair. "And I'm not gonna leave."

* * *

_Isn't it sweet? XD Stefan's got a real big problem. It will become even worse in the next chapter. Again I was inspired by the coming episode^^° But after the next chapter I will write down my own ideas again. I just thought this whole character change in Stefan is useful to push Elena a little closer to Damon^^_

_Anyway, I'll keep writing. Everywhere. During a free period, on my way to school in the bus... everywhere and all the time so that I will be able to post another chapter next weekend._

_So long,_

_have a nice week!_


	20. The Pageant Part 1 Here With Me

_Finally, weekend. No school. Just my PC and I and The Vampire Diaries of course!_

_Oh my god, I was so excited when I watched the latest episode a few hours ago. I absolutely love the dance scene! It's perfect! Screw Stefan, Damon is all Elena needs 3_

_Anyway, I included the pageant into my fanfiction because of the dance scene^^ However, like always I'm writing and writing and writing and in the end it's so much that I have to divide into several parts, two by now. _

_Well, now you know what you have to expect, so enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 20:**** The Pageant Part 1 (Here With Me)**

_It doesn't mean anything  
Without you here with me  
And i can try to justify  
But i still need you here with me

* * *

_

Elena spent the remaining days of vacation at home, in her bed to be exact. Two days after Stefan had come back. Jenna had asked Bonnie to come over because Elena was behaving 'strange'. Elena told Bonnie about Stefan's return and his renewed addiction. Bonnie was shocked and amazed by the role swap the Salvatore brothers had done. Now Stefan was the dangerous, bad guy and Damon the soft, good guy which was rather disturbing.

Bonnie had given her best to cheer Elena up and distract her by going shopping or meeting with Caroline but her efforts had been unsuccessful. Elena obviously didn't want to feel better. So Bonnie had left in the evening and hadn't called her ever since. Neither had Caroline who had probably gotten the news from Bonnie. So Elena kept on worrying and crying and found herself talking to her brother more often. Jeremy was a good listener. He had been shocked, too that Stefan had turned into a bloodsucking monster and agreed with her that Damon on the other hand should be awarded for is great self-control.

She was missing both of them so much and was happy when school started again.

When she got there she was warmly greeted by Bonnie and Caroline. Those two had been like sisters to her all the way and Elena felt guilty for behaving so ungrateful toward Bonnie for trying to distract her. She apologized and Bonnie waved it off and hugged her. She wasn't mad but Caroline seemed to have something on her mind.

"I didn't know you signed up for Miss Mystic Falls," she said oily.

"I didn't," Elena confirmed.

"Your name is on the list," Caroline told her harshly.

"But I didn't put it there," Elena clarified. "Show me."

They walked to the board onto which someone had pinned the list of participants of the pageant. Elena's name was right below Caroline's.

"I swear I didn't put it there. I just talk to Mrs Lockwood in the afternoon and cancel my participation."

"You can't," Caroline informed her. "The registration deadline was yesterday. They won't let you get out now."

"I wonder who signed you up for it," Bonnie said.

"Probably someone who hopes to embarrass you," Caroline guessed.

"And there's not way out?"

"Not anymore."

"Great. Just great."

"Hey, honey, what's up?" a voice asked behind her.

Elena turned around to find Damon standing in front of her.

"Damon…" She couldn't say anything else. Everything came rushing back at the sight of him. Her worries… her longing…

"We'll meet you in class," Bonnie said and left with Caroline.

"Hey," Damon said.

"Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess," Elena answered. "And… you?" She was about to say Stefan but then she changed her mind.

"Me too, I guess," he agreed.

"You look tired," Elena observed worried. Dark shadows were below his eyes like he hadn't slept in a week.

"That's because I am tired," he said and then he began to explain. "I've been watching Stefan day and night. I can't let him alone for long. He would probably pay a quick visit to the blood bank. That's why I don't have much time to talk. I have to go back."

"So it's still that bad, huh." Elena sighed.

"I'm doing everything I can to turn him around. I'm feeding him animal blood but it doesn't weaken the cravings like it did before."

"I see…"

"I just came by to give you a short report. I'll call you when I have news for you," he told her and turned around to go but Elena grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Wait." Damon looked questioningly at her. "You should get some sleep."

"Elena, I just told you–"

"I know," she said. "But you look awful."

"Thanks."

"No, please, get some rest," Elena insisted. "What's the worst that could happen? That he goes to the blood bank? I can live with that for now but I don't want you to suffer because of him."

"I'm not suffering. Besides, it's not the worst that could happen," he contradicted. "The worst case scenario would be him paying a 'visit' to you."

"I'll come to your house then," she suggested. You can sleep and if he tries something you'll wake up by my scream."

"I don't think so," Damon said. "Still too little time for me to react."

Elena was running out of options. "Come to my house then. For a sleepover. We'll share a bed. You can't be closer to me. Please, Damon, do it for me."

"I appreciate the offer," Damon told her. "Really. But right now it's out of question, I'm sorry." He winked at her. "But I'll accept it later."

A smile appeared on Elena's lips but quickly vanished when she glanced at the list on the board.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Someone signed me up for the town's pageant."

"Cool."

"No, it's not cool," she corrected him. "Because I never wanted to be part of it but now I have to. And I need a dance partner," she added quickly.

"There's probably a bunch of guys who would love to escort you," Damon commented and cringed at the thought.

"Probably. But I don't want them by my side. I want you," she pointed out.

"What about Stefan?" he inquired. "Do you really want to risk it and leave him alone?"

Elena sighed and then she looked at Damon with determination in her eyes.

"Yes, I do."

Damon's eyes widened in surprise. "I hope you won't regret it. So when is this pageant?"

"On Friday," Elena answered.

"Maybe I'll get him under control by then. I'll be there," Damon promised. "I'll already come over to your house Thursday night. For the sleepover," he added, winking at her.

Elena was beaming. "Great!"

"See you then, Elena."

"See you, Damon."

He gave her a smile and left and Elena turned into the opposite direction to go to class.

* * *

Thursday night came sooner than expected but Elena didn't mind. In fact she had been waiting for it and made some preparations.

Damon would sleep in her bedroom (without Jenna and Jeremy knowing) so she tidied up, cleaned up as carefully as never before. He had seen her room before but she wanted to make a good impression. She had even put clean sheets on the bed.

She was nervous what was probably because of the pageant on the following day. Caroline had told her what she would have to expect: a quiz on basic knowledge, a dance and a talent show.

The quiz was no problem. She was up-to-date and had always been attentive in History. The dance would be okay, too. After all she had Damon who in her opinion was a brilliant dancer and leader and in addition they would practice tonight just to get sure.

The real catch was the talent show. Elena had been thinking about it all the time but couldn't think of anything that would describe a specific talent she had. A year ago she had been a pretty good cheerleader but now she was a normal senior at high school.

Elena took a look around her bedroom and smiled. It was ridiculous to prepare everything for a sleepover. It was as if they were on honeymoon or as if Damon was going to propose to her.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She closed her eyes for a second as well and when she opened them again Damon was standing in the middle of the room."

"Hi," she greeted him smiling.

"Hi," he replied and, returning the smile cockily. "Nervous about your big day?"

"Oh, don't mention it," Elena groaned and slumped on her bed. "I've been thinking about nothing else."

"I guessed so." Damon lay down beside her. "You might be glad to hear that Stefan is on his way to his old self."

"Really?"

"Seems so," Damon answered. "And that's he says, too. So if he's fooling me he's very good at it."

Elena sighed in relief. Now that this matter was taken off her chest she could completely focus on the pageant.

"I need you help, Damon." She rolled on her side, facing him.

"With what?"

"The last part of the pageant is a talent show but I can't think of a talent to show…"

"Are you kidding me?" Damon raised a brow. "You'll sing of course!"

"In front of all those people? No way!"

"You already did it in front of a crowd," he reminded her.

"That was totally different," she replied. "No one knew me there."

"It doesn't matter. How many times will I have to tell you over and over again that you have an amazing voice? And I shouldn't be the only one to enjoy it."

"You're exaggerating." Elena was blushing furiously.

"Am not. Do you already know what you'll be wearing?"

Elena grinned. "I have something in mind."

"Show me," he said eagerly.

"Sorry but it'll be a surprise," she teased him.

"For me?" he mocked. "How do I deserve that?"

Elena chuckled. "You'll see it soon enough."

She closed her eyes.

"Tired?"

"I thought you were."

"I am."

"Then sleep." Damon didn't reply to that. "Damon?"

She opened her eyes to see that Damon's eyes were closed. He had fallen asleep. Elena smiled and snuggled up to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Good night, Damon."

She closed her eyes again and before she fell asleep she felt Damon put his arm around her, keeping her warm.

* * *

The hours flew by and Friday morning came. Elena woke up at 9 am due to her alarm clock. The pageant was going to start a 2 pm right after school. (Participants had the day off so would have enough time to get ready.)

Sleepily Elena stretched herself, yawned heartily and slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see Damon lying beside her. He wasn't. He was gone but he had left her a note.

_Checking up on Stefan. Meet you there. Can't wait ;)_

Elena grinned. It would remain one of world's small mysteries why he was looking forward to the pageant like a little boy to Christmas. But it was good that least one of them was psyched. It made her take things more lightly and relax a little.

But not for long. After breakfast Elena took a shower and got dressed. Then she called Jenna to help her with hair and make-up. Elena didn't want to change her hairdo much but Jenna insisted to make it curly. When she was done and passed the mirror to her Elena's heart sank. She looked so much like Katherine now – the woman she never wanted to resemble, neither in looks nor in personality. What would Damon think when he saw? Would he see her or would he see Katherine?

Elena didn't have much time to ponder it because Jenna was putting on make-up and a glimpse of an eye later it was already 1 pm.

"You look beautiful," Jenna told her.

"Thanks, Jenna," Elena said weakly.

They went downstairs where Jeremy was already waiting for them. He had skipped school with Jenna's permission. When he saw Elena he gasped loudly.

"Wow, I'm so proud to call you my sister," he said impressed. "I bet you'll win with your looks."

"You misunderstood something there," Elena told him. "I'm not planning to win. I just going because I have to."

"Planning to or not," Jenna chimed in. "You'll win. I agree with Jeremy."

Elena just shook her head and opened the front door.

* * *

When Damon returned home in the morning he was silently sending a prayer. _Let Stefan still be there when I go inside… _And to his surprise Stefan was home and it didn't look like he had been out while Damon had been absent. Stefan was reading a book again. A habit he had picked up because it distracted him from the hunger.

"You're back?" Stefan's gaze never left the page.

"Yes but only for a short while. Then I'll leave again," Damon told him, passing the parlor and heading for the kitchen to have breakfast.

"Where you going?" he heard Stefan ask conversationally.

"There's a pageant. Miss Mystic Falls. Elena's taking part in it and asked me to be her dance partner," Damon informed him casually. It wasn't until later that he would regret having shared this information with his brother.

He barely noticed Stefan closing the book loudly. He was distracted. He had opened the fridge for a snack to find that most of their restored animal blood was missing.

"Um, Stefan? Who raided the fridge?"

"Oh, I did. I was so hungry this morning. Sorry," Stefan replied calmly from the parlor. "Do you want me to get more blood?"

"No," Damon refused determinedly and closed the fridge. "I will when I come back home." He left the kitchen and headed for the stairs. "Excuse me now. I have to get dressed."

He didn't receive a reply from Stefan but didn't care. His thoughts were somewhere else… with Elena.

He opened his wardrobe and took out his best suit plus a matching tie. He was really looking forward to the pageant… to see the beautiful Elena and to dance with her. He would never forget this day…

He took a shower, got dressed and adjusted his hair. One look into the mirror told him that he looked absolutely dashing. He couldn't wait to see Elena's reaction.

He glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table. Half past one. Time to go.

Whistling he walked down the stairs. He had never been in a better mood. He was going to escort Elena to a pageant. He was, not Stefan. He just had to rub it into him.

"See you later, little brother!" he said and headed for the door. Suddenly he stopped. "Stefan?"

No answer.

But a weak scent of human blood. Damon entered the parlor. Stefan's book was on the couch.

And Stefan was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it!!"

* * *

_Wow, Stefan fooled Damon. Something's really wrong with that guy XD Like in the TV series Stefan can't just stop drinking human blood and he doesn't want to either._

_The second part of this chapter will include the wonderful dance scene. I think I will be able to upload it tomorrow._

_Have a nice day!_


	21. The Pageant Part 2 For All I Need

_Hey, remember when I wrote I'd cut it into two parts? Well, I have to correct that. It will at least be three but expect for XD _

_I couldn't leave the wonderful dance scene out. I'm still watching it and listening to the song over and over again. It's so beautiful! Before I watched the episode I already knew I wanted to include the dance scene and I wanted to make it perfect but it seems Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson already did that^^° Nevertheless I like my version and I hope you will like it, too! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 21: The Pageant Part 2 (For All I Need)**

The Lockwood estate was already quite crowded when the Gilberts got there. Bonnie came running up to them to wish Elena good luck and tell her that she'd find Caroline and her competition inside.

"Is Damon here yet?" Elena asked her, looking around for him.

"No, not yet."

_Where is he?_ Elena wondered when she entered the Lockwood manor. People were hurrying past her back and fro. A little lost Elena looked around for someone she knew and found Caroline and Matt standing in a corner of the large hallway and walked to them.

"Hey," Elena greeted them and added to Caroline. "You look great."

"You, too," Matt replied reflexively. Caroline glared at him but he didn't notice it because he was busy scrutinizing Elena from head to toe.

"Thanks, Matt. Have you seen Damon?"

"No, I haven't," Caroline said coolly while taking a look into her pocket mirror.

"I wonder why he isn't here yet," Elena said to herself.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"Soon will be late," Caroline told them. "It's already two."

And suddenly the Lockwoods told everybody to take a seat in the garden. Mrs Lockwood then called all participants to follow her into the room whose porch led into the garden. Matt joined Jenna, Jeremy and Bonnie and Elena and Caroline were left waiting with their competition. One after the after they were alphabetically called outside. Forbes came before Gilbert so Elena had to wait with three other girls she barely knew from school. She tried to start a conversation but was ignored. A few minutes after Caroline had left Elena was called. She took a deep breath and stepped outside.

It was a beautiful day. It was warm and the sun was shining. While walking up to some sort of speaker's desk Elena flashed a smile to her family and friends.

And the quiz started.

It was easier than expected. The jury members were Mrs Lockwood, a man Elena didn't know and a descendent of Honoria Fell, one of the founders of Mystic Falls whose daughter was taking part in the pageant as well. The questions weren't difficult. Elena always immediately knew an answer to them and everytime she gave the right answer her supporters were clapping. After ten questions and ten right answers Elena was released. Mrs Lockwood sent her upstairs to the second floor where she would find a room at her disposal to freshen up. Elena gladly accepted the offer, reentered the manor and went upstairs.

The doors of a few rooms were wide open. Elena chose the first the approached, entered and closed the door. Then she turned around to take a look into the mirror and gasped.

Stefan was reflected in the mirror, right behind her. She turned around.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" she asked perplexed.

"Are you kidding me?" he answered. I would never miss you being proclaimed Miss Mystic Falls."

"But what about… you know… the people?"

"Don't worry. I've got it under control," he assured her.

But Elena didn't agree. A look into his dark eyes revealed the truth to her. She couldn't trust him.

"I'd rather you go home," she told him carefully. She didn't want to hurt his feeling despite it.

"Elena, you have no idea how much I missed you," Stefan said and slowly approached her.

"Stop!" she shouted. "Don't come closer or I'll scream!"

"Elena, are you really afraid of me?" he demanded incredulously.

"You only got yourself to blame for it," Elena replied.

Stefan looked like he had just been punched into the face. He was staring at her in disbelief.

"I've got it under control, really."

"I'm sorry, Stefan, but I can't trust you anymore," she told him sadly but determinedly.

Stefan's face fell. He was hurt.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and in a blink of an eye he was gone.

Elena's heart was beating fast. Her breathing was labored. She had a panic attack at the thought that Stefan was around so many people. Where the hell was Damon? She desperately hoped that nothing had happened to him. Disturbing images flashed through her mind. She was trembling violently now. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was going to break down. Her legs were giving in…

* * *

As fast as he could Damon rushed over to the Lockwood residence. He was outrageous. Stefan had fooled him! He had betrayed his worthy trust once again. Damon knew that he would find him at the pageant. There was no other place he could be. Stefan wanted to see Elena and Damon was afraid that that wasn't everything.

Too fast for the human eye to see he entered the manor through the window of the room he could feel Elena's presence in. When he was inside he saw Elena standing opposite of him. She was leaning against the door, slowly sliding downwards…

"Elena!" In an instant he was by her side and caught her. "Elena, breathe. Now's not the time to break down." He gently patted the back of her head. "Everything will be fine."

Elena just stared at him, unable to speak.

She couldn't tell him, she couldn't. She was shocked. Her mouth was open but no sound came out. But it turned out that she didn't have to say anything at all because Damon already knew.

"Elena, I have to tell you something. You have to be very brave now." He took a deep breath. "Stefan fooled me. He's still drinking human blood and I lost him. I guess he's here… somewhere."

"He is." Elena finally found her voice again but it was still shaky. "He was here," she whispered. "He said he'd stay and watch my performance."

"What? Damn, he's out of his mind. I have to find him."

"Damon!" Elena demanded his attention. "The crowd… all those people. How will he be able to resist them? I don't want anyone to get hurt or even die because of him!"

"They won't. I'll find him and then I'll deal with him. Don't worry," Damon promised. "But I'm afraid there's something else."

"Something _else_?" Elena repeated weakly.

"Yes. Does Stefan strike you as the jealous type?"

"I don't know. You know him better than me. He's your brother."

"I thought I knew him," Damon corrected. "Anyway. We're both very impulsive when it comes to love. When I found our Stefan was sleeping with Katherine. And with him on 0 negative it'll be much worse. I babbled, okay? He knows I'll be escorting and dancing with you."

"Oh my god…" Elena was clutching her heart. "I can't… I can't do this right now. I'm gonna go to Mrs Lockwood and tell her I'm not feeling well."

She turned around and put her hand on the doorknob.

"No, you won't" Damon effortlessly kept the door shut with one single hand and placed the other on soothingly on Elena's shoulder. "This pageant is the perfect opportunity to distract you from all of this."

"But Damon," Elena said and turned around to face him. "I don't care about the pageant. I never wanted to be part of it. I don't want to win it."

"But I want you to."

Elena stared at him until it slowly dawned on her. "So _you_ put my name on the list?"

"Guilty," Damon replied grinning. "Like I said, I wanted to distract you. I never expected Stefan to burst into it though."

Elena sighed. "You're impossible."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't compliment. Okay, look," she said. "I expect you to be there when they call me down. Don't embarrass me with your absence no matter what Stefan is up to."

Damon's face lit up. "_That's_ what I wanted to here, honey! I'll patrol the estate, trying to find him but I'll hear them call you and I'll gladly be there to lead you across the dance floor."

Elena smiled. Damon nodded and left. Elena turned around, opened the door and stepped into the hallway where the other girls were already waiting. She walked straight over to Caroline.

"Hey."

"Hey." Caroline smiled. "Our competition just decreased to three."

"Really?" Elena asked surprised.

"Yup. Turned out those girls may be beautiful but also dumb. Three of them didn't pass the quiz," she told her. "Now it's only us, Tina Fell and that girl Amber."

Hearing her name Tina turned around to them and shot them a glare. Elena flinched but Caroline ignored her and babbled on. "You know, I used to be like them. Focused only on beauty."

"No, you weren't," Elena contradicted reflexively.

"Yes, I was," Caroline insisted. "Don't lie for me. But I changed. Ever since I'm with Matt I'm starting to realize what's really important. Matt has helped me to change. He also studied with me for the quiz."

Caroline was smiling proudly and Elena was feeling uneasy. "Look, Caroline, about Matt…"

"There's nothing to talk about," Caroline cut her off.

"Yes, there is," Elena said. She took both of Caroline's hands into hers and made her face her. "I know you're mad at me for that Matt goggled at me earlier. To ease your pain, Matt and I are history. I'm with Stefan–" She swallowed the lump that was suddenly in her throat down. "And I'm gonna stay with him. But I know Matt. And you can believe me when I say that Matt wouldn't be here if he wouldn't like you."

She gave Caroline an encouraging smile and Caroline smiled back.

"Thank you, Elena. Hearing you say it means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," Elena said. "So what do I have to expect now?"

"Well, I asked my mom. She never participated but her sisters did," Caroline told her. "They're gonna call us down and then we'll dance with all the participants including the ones who lost already. First we'll dance all together but then each couple will dance in the center for a short time with the other couples dancing around them."

Elena nodded. "And after that the talent show starts, right?"

"Right."

"And how much time do we have between the dance and the talent show?"

"A quarter of an hour," Caroline answered.

"That's enough," Elena replied. _To pull myself together_, she added silently. The talent show was still freaking her out. "What are you gonna do?"

"At the talent show? I used to play piano but I quit after my parents got divorced. But it's the only 'talent' I have so I'm gonna play. And you?"

"Damon persuaded me to sing."

"Wow, in front of all those people? I never heard you sing before."

"I guess it's a good thing," Elena commented and Caroline nudged her.

"Look, Elena, I'll be honest with you," she said. "The pageant means a lot to me, you know. I really want to win. But if you win it'll be fine. No hard feelings, okay?"

"No hard feelings," Elena agreed. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to win anyway."

"Great!"

They shared a smile and kept standing by the banister until they heard Mrs Lockwood's voice from downstairs.

"Tina Fell."

Tina flashed a superior grin to them before the walked down the stairs. Soon after her Amber and Caroline were called and then finally

"Elena Gilbert."

Elena inhaled sharply and walked over to the stairs. Slowly and gracefully like a princess she walked downstairs. It was a spiral staircase and before Elena reached the turn she was worried about Damon. Would he be there downstairs or did he maybe get into a fight with Stefan? Everything was possible…

But then she walked further down and could see the hallway.

And there at the bottom of the stairs was Damon, waiting for her.

"Elena Gilbert," the jury member Elena didn't know said. "escorted by Mr Damon Salvatore!"

Elena smiled in relief and was still smiling when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Damon was smiling, too, took her hand led her elegantly into the backyard. The jury and the audience followed them. Outside the couples, the jury and the audience took their places. Once they had the music started, the dance partners approached each other and started dancing. At first the music in the background was typical waltz music but then it changed to modern music – the cue for Tina Fell and her partner. They dance throughout the whole song with grace and the remaining couples encircled them dancing.

When the song ended and another one started Amber and her partner changed positions with Tina and her partner. Same procedure when it was Caroline and Matt's turn. Elena smiled as she watched them floating across the dance floor.

The music changed again and Damon and Elena waltzed into the center. The music playing in the background was Within Temptation's 'All I Need'. A song both of them knew very well.

_I've lost all my trust _

_Though I've surely tried to turn it around_

Elena noticed Damon staring at her. He was getting lost in her, she could tell.

"Come on just say it."

"Say what?"

"That I look like Katherine."

Damon looked puzzled at her.

_Can you still see the heart of me? _

"I don't see Katherine in you," he told her sincerely. "All I can see is a beautiful woman with amazingly expressive eyes who is kind enough to dance with me."

_All my agony fades away_

_When you hold me in your embrace_

Elena smiled. He could never imagine how much those words meant to her.

They turned around and took a step closer to each other while dancing.

_I want t__o believe that this is for real_

They turned around again, their gazes never leaving each other's eyes.

_Save me from my fear_

_Don't tear me down_

Elena help but smile at two things. First, at how perfectly the song matched her and Damon and secondly at the fun she was having as she was dancing with him. Damon and the song had managed to take her worries off her chest so that she could enjoy the moment. And she did. She enjoyed each and every second of it.

_Don't tear me down_

_For all I need_

At some point the world around them disappeared. It was only her and Damon dancing.

_Make my heart a better place_

_Give me something I can believe_

_Don't tear it down_

_What's left of me_

Elena found herself drawn even closer to Damon. There was hardly space between them now. Their faces were only inches away from each other. And she never wanted this moment to end.

_Make my heart of better place_

_Make my heart a better place_

The song faded out and Damon and Elena slowed down in accordance to the rhythm of the song.

And then something happened no one could have foreseen.

Slowly but determinedly Damon's face closed in on her.

And their lips touched.

Elena's heart stopped beating and her eyes widened.

The kiss was soft and long. It made her stomach do somersaults.

But she felt herself unable to respond. She was completely taken aback.

A second that felt like ages later Damon broke the gentlest of touches just when the music stopped. And the audience applauded excitedly.

Neither Elena nor Damon paid attention to them. Damon's face was still close to Elena. He was gazing intently at her and Elena stared back, panting.

She was speechless.

Damon had kissed her.

* * *

_Ha! I bet you didn't expect that!_

_I thought about it for a loooooong time, never really sure if I should let Damon kiss her so early but I think the timing is appropiate. _

_So stay tuned to see how the story goes on!_


	22. The Pageant Pt 3 ForeverLiesInYourEyes

_You couldn't wait to read the next chapter and I couldn't wait to write it XD Now, Elena's reaction and the talent show. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter: 22: The Pageant Part 3 (Forever Lies In Your Eyes)**

"Elena? Elena. Elena, are you okay? Hellohoo, earth to Elena!"

Damon chuckled while he was waving his hand in front of her face. There was still no reaction coming from her. He shook her. "Elena, wake up! The dance is over. Though I'm starting to enjoy that look on your face. It's cute. Maybe I should kiss you more often."

If anything _that_ definitely took Elena out of her trance. She shook her head violently to clear her thoughts. She would think about this later. Yes, later sounded good. After all she still had to get through the talent show.

"Welcome back." Damon grinned at her. "Come on, let's grab our points!"

They walked over to the jury desk and stood next to Caroline and Matt. Damon put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. The jury now started to raise cards with a number written on them.

"Tina Fell. 25 points."

Tina, her partner and her family were cheering. No one seemed to mind that Mrs Fell had given her daughter 10 points…

Next was Amber. She got 25 points, too.

"Caroline Forbes." Mrs Lockwood raised a 9, Mrs Fell raised an 8 and the man a 10. "27 points."

Elena started to feel uneasy. She couldn't estimate the quality of their dance. She hoped she and Damon had made a good impression though.

"Elena Gilbert." Mrs Lockwood raised a 10 and Elena's heart started beating fast. Mrs Fell raised a 9 and Elena got excited. Then the unknown man raised his card. "28 points for Elena Gilbert and Mr Salvatore," Mrs Lockwood summed up.

Elena squeaked with glee. Damon grinned at her.

"I know we'd win after Lockwood gave us 10 points."

"Just because you're supporting the council," Elena reminded him but it didn't matter.

"I know but I also knew they would like the kiss," Damon replied still grinning.

"Yeah… Wait, what?"

"The kiss. It was part of the performance of course," Damon told her. "Or did you think it was actually real?"

"No, of course not," Elena lied and laughed nervously. "Excuse me, I'd like to talk to my 'supporters'.

"I'll come with you."

And while they walked over to the Gilberts, Elena friends and Alaric Saltzman – When had he gotten there? – Elena was pushing everything kiss-related into the farthest corner into the back of her mind. Later was perfect.

Jenna and Bonnie hugged her, smiling proudly at her. Jeremy shared a cool handshake with Damon and Saltzman congratulated them. Everything kept telling them how wonderful their dance performance had been and Elena and Damon had to assure them twice that the kiss had just been part of it.

"Let's go," Damon whispered into Elena five minutes later.

So they left the others and went upstairs into the room that was at Elena's disposal. Damon closed the door and checked the window sill.

"Damon, what are you up to?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"I have a plan concerning Stefan but I need your help," he told her and took out a small ampoule with a light green liquid in it out of his pocket.

"Verveine? No way, Damon," Elena refused.

"This might be only way to stop him for a while."

"So you want me to get close enough to him that he will bite me," Elena realized.

"Everyone has to make a sacrifice," he said.

Elena groaned in frustration. "Give it to me." She took the ampoule from Damon, opened it and drank the verveine. When she was done she shuddered. "Urgh."

Damon chuckled. "Disgusting, isn't it? Now imagine the taste and pain like your whole body is on fire and then you'll know what it does to vampires."

"I'll pass, thanks," Elena said. "What time is it?"

"Time to go back downstairs I guess," Damon replied and offered her his arm to take which she did. "Nervous?"

"You have no idea…"

"By the way what will you sing?" Damon asked curious.

Elena smiled at him. "You'll see."

"Another surprise? I don't know if I can take that. Your dress already amazed me," Damon admitted to her.

"Everyone has to make a sacrifice," Elena said, giving him a lovely smile.

* * *

When they reached the bottom of the stairs everyone was already taking seats in the incredibly large parlor. A small stage had been placed here as well as numerous chairs.

When Damon and Elena entered the parlor Caroline was already standing on stage, with a leap of music sheets in her hands. Matt and her mother, the sheriff, were sitting in the front row, encouraging her.

"I'm gonna patrol again. I'll be right back," Damon told Elena after she had sat down.

"No!" She grabbed his hand. "I want you to here when I sing. I need you."

Her eyes were pleading and Damon found himself unable to turn down her request. So he sat down next to her.

"Fine, but as soon as you've finished we'll leave and search him."

Elena nodded. Damon studied her face. She looked pale. She really seemed to nervous, no scared. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Elena turned her head to look at him. He flashed an encouraging smile saying 'Everything will be fine' at her and Elena returned the smile weakly.

Just in that moment Mrs Lockwood appeared onstage with a cordless microphone in her hand.

"May I have I have your attention please." Everyone fell silent. "I'm happy to open the last part of our little pageant, the talent show. Our last two beautiful participants are going to represent a specific talent to us. Starting with Caroline Forbes who is going to play a self-written piano piece for us!"

The audience clapped and Caroline sat down on the bench. When it had gotten quiet again she started to play.

It wasn't a classical piece, Elena figured at once. It was modern piano music because it was written by a modern-day person. But she liked to listen to it and made a mental note to ask Caroline whether a record of the song existed.

The song like everything that was nice ended too soon. After Caroline had finished and left the stage thundering applause. Mrs Lockwood reentered it to announce Elena's performance while a man placed a microphone stand at the front.

"That was remarkable, Caroline. Now let's see how our second participant is going to compete with that. She will use her beautiful voice to express her own, specific talent. Please applaud, Elena Gilbert!"

The audience started to applaud. Elena glanced at Damon, then she got slowly up and entered the stage. She took a quick look around the parlor. About one hundred and fifty people were going to witness her performance. Far more than back then in Florida. But Elena reminded herself of why she was going through this and for whom and started to speak into the microphone.

"I dedicate this song to a special person who means very much to me."

She turned her head to look at Damon. The moment their gazes met Elena felt something radiating out of her toward Damon and hitting her right back. Damon had understood her secret message. He was gazing intently at her. A part of him was shocked, another was happy.

Elena smiled, gave the DJ his cue and pressed 'play'.

The music started to play, making its way through the parlor, catching everyone's attention and then Elena started to sing. She had carefully chosen this song this morning. It connected her with Damon by the lyrics and now Elena was finally ready to reveal this connection to the world and put her heart on the line.

_I'll always remember_

_it was late afternoon_

_It lasted forever_

_But ended so soon_

While singing these lines Elena remembered Damon's kiss that seemed so long ago.

_You were all by yourself_

_Staring up at a dark gray sky_

_I was changed_

_In places no one will find_

_All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)_

_It was there that I realized_

_That forever was in your eyes_

_The moment I saw you cry_

Now Elena was thinking of how Damon had opened up to her at the hospital after she had nearly died and his promise to never let her become a vampire.

_It was late in September_

_And I'd seen you before (and you were)_

_You were always the cold one_

_But I was never that sure_

_You were all by yourself_

_Staring up at a dark gray sky_

_I was changed_

Elena didn't see anyone anymore. She was lost in her memories while she sang. Going back to their start Elena was so happy to have discovered Damon's soft side.

_In places no one will find_

_All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)_

_It was there that I realized_

_That forever was in your eyes_

_The moment I saw you cry_

_I wanted to hold you_

_I wanted to make it go away_

_I wanted to know you_

_I wanted to make your everything_

_Alright_

_I'll always remember..._

_It was late afternoon......_

_I__n places no one will find_

Reluctantly Elena realized that Damon's kiss actually meant something to her. It had moved her and it would for sure haunt her for a long time.

_In places no one will find_

_All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)_

_It was there that I realized_

_That forever was in your eyes_

_The moment I saw you cry_

_I think i saw you cry_

_The moment i saw you cry_

_I wanted to know you_…

Elena's voice faded away together with the music and she held her breath.

And then the audience got up from their seats and applauded. Standing ovation for her. All gazes were upon her but Elena searched Damon's. He was standing, too, applauding her. He was still shocked. It made Elena smile inwardly.

Finally she had made _him_ speechless.

* * *

_Another cliffhanger, I'm sorry^^° _

_I was right, it will indeed be four chapters. So one to go. Look out for it tomorrow!_

_By the way the song Elena sang was "Cry" by Mandy Moore. I think the lyrics are perfect. What do you think?  
_


	23. The Pageant Part 4 Wish You Were

_I'm keeping my promise. Finally, the last part of that incredibly long chapter. Finally some action again because Stefan returns. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 23: The Pageant Part 4 (Wish You Were)**

_Gone away are the golden days_

_So here I am a utopian citizen_

_Memories they're following me like a shadow now_

_And I'm dreamin'_

_Cause I've already suffered the fever of disbelief_

_I was true as the sky is blue_

_But I couldn't soon say the same for you_

_I've seen your act_

_And I know all the facts_

_I'm still in love with who I wish you were_

_It ain't hard to see_

_Who you are underneath_

_I'm still in love with who I wish you were

* * *

_

Elena was still standing onstage when Mrs Lockwood joined her there. She didn't hear her speak into the microphone. All her attention was focused on Damon. Their gazes were locked.

"Thank you, Elena. That was wonderful," Mrs Lockwood said. "The jury will now withdraw and–"

Suddenly the door of the parlor burst open and Tina Fell stormed in, panting.

"There's a maniac in the woods!" she screamed. "He's assaulting Amber! He thinks he's a vampire!"

All hell broke loose. Everyone was on their feet. Sheriff Forbes and the other members of the Council darted past her with a terrified Mrs Fell following them. Damon exchanged a glance with Elena before he hurried after them.

* * *

Using his vampire speed he had a start of about three minutes. When he arrived at the scene of crime Stefan was draining the last drop of life out of Amber.

"They're coming! GO!" Damon ordered.

Stefan let go of Amber's lifeless body and sped away. A second later Damon took off before the Council could see him. He went back to the Lockwood residence.

* * *

Elena was still standing onstage when most of the people had left the parlor. Only her family and friends had stayed. Saltzman had gone with the sheriff. Elena couldn't breathe. Of course it could only be Stefan assaulting that girl Amber in the woods… The word started to spin around her due to the lack of oxygen. She was trembling again, losing her balance…

"Elena!"

Bonnie jumped onstage and caught Elena. "Elena, what's wrong?"

Elena looked at her friend with fear in her eyes. "It's Stefan," she whispered to her and she gasped.

Just in that moment Damon returned and joined them.

"Elena!" He was worried about her and when he saw Elena limp in Bonnie's arms he felt guilty for demanding so much from her. But the worst wasn't over yet. She had to hold on for just a little longer.

"Damon… Was it him?" Elena asked although it was unnecessary. Damon nodded sadly. "Could you save her?" Damon was silent. "Oh my god…"

"Look, Elena, I need to take care of some things with the Council but when I'm finished with them I'll come back to pick you up and then we'll do it, alright?"

"Alright," Elena replied weakly.

* * *

Damon left the parlor and used his vampire speed to find Tina Fell. She had witnessed the murder and she had seen Stefan's face. He needed to erase her memories of Stefan's appearance. He found Tina talking to her mother in the background, just about to tell her what the attacker looked like.

"Tina Fell?" he interrupted her just in time.

"Yes?"

"I'm Damon Salvatore from the Council," he said, shaking her hand. "I'd like to talk to you about the incident. Alone, if you don't mind," he added to Mrs Fell who obviously did mind. Damon ignored her and led Tina away from her mother.

"So, Tina, have you seen the attacker's face?" he asked softly.

"Yes, I did."

"Could you describe it in detail for a sketch?"

"Yes, I think I could."

"Good but that won't be necessary," Damon said, eying her necklace. "Could you take your necklace off for a second, please?" Tina looked questioningly at him but did as she was told. Damon took it from her, pretending to take a closer look at it and then he looked Tina deep in her eyes.

"You will forget what the attacker looked like. Everything went too fast. You didn't see his face because once he attacked Amber you ran away, looking for help. And you will forget our little interview as well."

Damon finished hypnotizing Tina, gave her the necklace back and walked away into the woods.

* * *

When Damon arrived at the scene, running they were almost done.

"Sheriff," he called out to Mrs Forbes.

"She met him halfway. "Where have you been, Damon?"

"I tried my luck patrolling the area but I couldn't find him," he explained. "How bad is it?"

"She's dead," the sheriff told him and walked him to the corpse. "It's the same pattern. Bite to the neck."

"Didn't you supply everyone with my uncle's verveine?" Damon asked.

"I talked to her mother and she told me her daughter had a necklace filled with verveine but she took it off because it didn't fit with her dress." Sheriff Forbes rolled her eyes. "I'm going to ask Tina Fell a few questions. Maybe she can tell us how the beast looked like."

Damon nodded. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked, noticing from the corner of his eye that Saltzman was watching him closely.

"No, we'll just clean up and then I'll interrogate Tina. If I have news, I'll call you."

"Okay."

Damon turned around and left. When he was sure they couldn't see him he used his vampire speed to get back to Elena as fast as possible.

* * *

"The woods?" Elena asked confused when they stopped in the middle of the woods.

"The woods close to our home," Damon specified. "He's here. I can feel his presence."

And then suddenly Stefan appeared out of nowhere and lunged at Damon, pushing him to the ground.

"I'm gonna rip your throat out!" he growled at Damon who was trying to shake him off. "How dare you hitting on Elena!"

_Oh no,_ Elena thought. _How much did he see?_ If he had seen the kiss their relationship would be practically over. He wouldn't believe that it all had been an act.

"Stefan, let go of him!" she shouted. "He didn't do anything to me! He just helped me out while you couldn't because you're going crazy!"

"Shut up!" Stefan shouted back, still fighting with Damon.

Elena was shocked by his tone toward her and got angry. She was about to say something when Stefan hurled Damon around. Damon flew far away from them and landed on a sharp branch of a fallen tree. He cried out in pain when the wood pierced his torso.

"Damon!" Elena screamed and wanted to run over to him but Stefan stepped into her way. "Stefan, don't do this!"

"My dear Elena," Stefan said and brushed her hair away from her neck. His eyes were pitch-dark. There was no sanity left in them. "I'm so sorry, Elena but your blood… It smells so delicious. I just want to get a taste…"

"No!" Elena screamed and stumbled backward, completely forgetting that she had verveine in her system. Stefan followed her like a predator. "Stefan, don't! You don't want that!"

But Stefan wasn't listening. He was focused on the artery in her neck which he was going to drink from soon. He lunged at her, holding her in tight grip she couldn't free from and pierced her neck hard. Elena cried out in agony as he drank greedily from her. Tears were running uncontrollably down her face. He'd really done it. Her last hope in Stefan was gone…

Stefan couldn't take much blood. After a few gulps the verveine started to affect him. He stopped drinking from her, his body convulsed, then went limp and collapsed on the ground. Elena stared at him. His eyes were closed. He had fallen unconscious.

Elena turned around and ran over to Damon who was trying to lift himself off the branch but couldn't do it himself.

"Damon! Here, let me give you a hand." She pulled while he pushed and then they both fell to the ground. Damon was groaning in pain. "Damon, are you alright?" she asked worriedly, staring horrified at the bleeding wound through the ripped fabric of his suit.

"Yes," he said, clenching his teeth. "It'll heal soon." Elena sighed in relief. "Elena?"

"Yes?"

"Run."

"What?"

"Go home. I'll take it from here."

"What? No!" she refused. She wouldn't leave him before she was sure that he would be fine.

"Elena, I'm on edge!" he told her fiercely. "And although your blood is mixed with verveine it has the same effect on me as on Stefan. So GO!"

Elena was a little surprised to hear that but only a little. After all he was vampire and injured. Of course her blood would be appealing to him. She had to close her neck wound somehow because she wasn't going to leave.

"Give me some of your blood so that it heals," she said.

"What? Did you forget what happened last time?" Damon groaned.

"Only a few drops. I'm sure it won't harm me," Elena insisted. "Come on!"

Damon raised his fist to his mouth and bit it, then he held his bleeding fist just above Elena's neck wound. His blood mixed with hers and the wound closed just when his skin healed.

Damon leant his head on her shoulder. He was exhausted. "Just a moment," he whispered, his eyes closed while he waited for his severe wound to heal.

"Sure," Elena said and absent-mindedly caressing the back of his head.

"By the way…"

"Mmh?"

"What was the pathetic screaming for? You'll full of verveine!" Damon reminded her.

Irritated Elena shoved him off her shoulder and got up. "If I hadn't screamed he would have suspected something."

"Trust me," Damon said and got up, too. "He wouldn't have. But it's okay. I actually enjoyed that scared look on your face." Elena nudged hard in the rips and he gasped, whining. "Ow! It hasn't healed yet!"

"Oops, sorry," Elena replied in a tone that didn't sound apologetic at all.

They looked down at Stefan's unconscious form on the ground and sighed.

* * *

"Do you think it's gonna work?" Elena asked when Damon barricaded the door after they'd dropped Stefan in the vault full of verveine plants.

"I can't tell," Damon answered sincerely. "If we let the verveine dry him up it might erase his memories of how human blood tastes. He'll still be hungry but if we feed him animal blood now and then as if we were feeding a baby it there will be a chance that he grows accustomed to the taste and makes a full recovery as squirrels' worst enemy," he concluded, walking upstairs. "You coming?"

"Actually, I'm just gonna stay here," Elena told him and took a seat on the cold the floor.

"Fine. I'll go talk to the sheriff to find out if they're on to him. Actually they shouldn't. I cleaned up carefully but they're good at what they are doing. Don't let him out," Damon added earnest.

"You don't need to tell me that."

"I'll remind you of it when he starts yelling and begging," Damon said and left.

Elena leant against the stone wall and sighed deeply. She hoped that Stefan once he had awakened would understand why she was doing this to him. After all she just wanted to help him. She wanted to have him back. Not this side of him but his old self that she had grown to love so much.

* * *

_Before you groan and think 'She's just copying from the series.' Believe it or not, I had this in mind before I watched the episode. Locking Stefan up in that vault seemed logical._

_Since you loved the chapter before this one I made video featuring Elena's thoughts while she is singing. You'll find the link in my profile. I also uploaded it on Youtube but they hate me. They keep blocking each and every one of my videos in my country, Germany. ._

_So, after four chapters you probably won't mind me taking a break. My hand wrist hurts. I think I have a cramp x.x So no chapter until at least next weekend. Enjoy your week! _


	24. Dear Agony

_Hey! I was goint to upload this earlier but I had recover from last night's episode first. I think recover is the right word in this regard. My heart stopped beating several times! It was so intense! _

_But I calmed down eventually and now I'm able to post another chapter. Some of you already know what's going to happen because you watched my spoiler trailer. I hope I didn't spoil you too much and that you'll still 'enjoy' it. _

_I can't enjoy it. I started to cry when I wrote this. You'll find out why at the end. _

_AN: Alaric has gone back to teaching so he can work undercover XD  
_

* * *

**Chapter 24: Dear Agony**

_Dear Diary,_

_a week has passed since we locked Stefan up in the vault down in the basement. It took him one day to wake up due to the high dose of verveine in his system. I wanted to talk to him, explain to him why I was putting him through so much but two days later when I tried to, he wouldn't listen._

**

* * *

FLASHBACK**

_"Elena, are you there?"_

_"Yes, I'm right here," Elena said and looked through the bars into the vault. "How are you?"_

_"Terrible," Stefan answered._

_As far as Elena could tell he was lying on the floor, surrounded by verveine. He was obviously in pain. He was twisting and flinching all the time. Elena sat down on the cold floor in front of the vault._

_"Stefan, I'm sorry for doing this to you. Really, I am but–"_

_"You can't even imagine it!" Stefan barked._

_"Damon described it to me."_

_"Right, Damon…"_

_"When will you finally quit it, Stefan?" Elena retorted. "There's nothing between Damon and me!"_

_Stefan didn't reply to that and Elena sighed. There was silence between them for a couple of minutes before Stefan let out a bloodcurdling scream, making Elena jump to her feet._

_"Stefan, what's wrong?"_

_"I… I can't…"_

_"You can't what?" Elena asked worriedly._

_"I can't stay in here any longer," Stefan groaned._

_"I'm sorry, Stefan but–"_

_"_You don't understand!_" Stefan bellowed. "I'm growing weaker and weaker… and then I will…"_

_"It can't be that bad," Elena reasoned but had her doubts._

_"It is," Stefan insisted. "I'm already barely conscious. At some point…" Elena was silent. "Please, Elena."_

_"I can't."_

_"Elena…"_

_Tears were welling up in her eyes. She was torn between what her mind was telling her – that he was probably lying – and what her heart was telling her – that he was actually telling the truth and going to die soon._

_"Elena, please, let me out," Stefan begged in a tone that made Elena's heart quiver. "You don't want me to die, do you? Please, Elena…"_

_Stefan's voice was fading away and Elena got scared. What if he was really telling the truth and she would be responsible for his death. She couldn't take that risk._

_With trembling hands she fumbled with the lock until it made a clicking sound and opened the door with a crack._

_"Stefan? Aaaargh!!"_

_Before she could react Stefan was at the door, trying to drag her inside. Screaming Elena tried to hold on to the wall but her fingers couldn't get a grip on it. They were sliding…_

_"Damon! DAMOOON!" she screamed, knowing in the back of her mind that he couldn't hear her. He had gone out to take care of some business. No one would help her…_

_"Get your dirty hands off her!" a voice roared down the basement. In an instant another pair of hands were grabbing her arm and pulling her back into the hallway with a jolt. Elena fell to the ground, trembling. She examined her wrist. There were no marks on it. She sighed. Stefan hadn't had a chance to bite her. Her eyes wandered from her hands to her savior's shoes, up his black jeans to the hem of her savior's leather jacket. Her savior was still struggling to shut the door which was difficult because Stefan was pushing against it from the other side. Elena pulled herself together, got up and pushed hard against the door. Together with her help Damon managed to shut and barricade the door._

_Panting and ignoring Stefan's furious roars he turned to Elena, angrily._

_"What the hell were you thinking?!"_

_"I'm sorry," Elena whispered. She was still shocked. "You told me he'd start to beg and I… I'm sorry," she repeated._

_Damon snorted and turned to Stefan. "Nice act, little brother. But not very convincing. You locked me up in there for exactly three days and I was still able to make Zach open the door and pull him inside. I was still as strong as you are right now. It will take much more time before the verveine will kill you. Enjoy the torture."_

_Then he put his arm around Elena's shaking form and led her upstairs, ignoring Stefan's tantrum._

**END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

**

_Later I apologized to Damon and thanked him for saving me. He told me he hadn't been close but he'd gotten some kind of an electro shock, followed by my image flashing through his mind. That had made him worry and come back to check up on me. I was still shocked by the incident that I didn't really comprehend what it meant. But now I do. It means that Damon and I have share a paranormal connection. He feels it when I am in danger and that is a very comforting thought._

_Damon also told me that he had expected Stefan to put on this act all along. He said the verveine and the increasing hunger would drive a vampire insane and assured me that it hadn't been Stefan's intention to attack me. The hunger would be controlling him and he would be too weak to fight it._

_The incident happened four days ago. So Stefan has been locked up for a week. Tomorrow we're going to let Stefan out. Damon thinks enough time has passed. He has been feeding Stefan animal blood the last couple of days and Stefan has calmed down since then. We think it's over now. There's still a modest risk that he will relapse but we can't tell. Only time will tell.

* * *

_

Friday after school Elena went over to the Salvatore manor where she was welcomed by Damon.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he greeted back. "Did you dink the verveine?" Elena nodded. "Good. Then let's get down to it."

They walked downstairs into the basement to the vault. Stefan must have known they were coming because he was on his feet, waiting for them at the door.

"Are you ready to get back to your life?" Damon asked him.

"Give me the blood first," Stefan answered. "Stefan handed him the bottle with animal blood. Stefan opened it, raised it to his mouth and emptied it slowly. When he had drunken up he passed the bottle back to Damon. "Okay, I'm ready."

Damon glanced at his brother, watching him closely. He slowly unlocked the door and opened it widely. Elena scrutinized Stefan from head to toe. He looked pale. His skin had a grayish tone but he looked much better than a few days before. Stefan met her gaze and walked out of the vault.

"I'm so sorry, Elena." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"It's okay, Stefan. It doesn't matter," Elena said, hugging him tightly and Stefan hugged her back.

"So you're over it now?" Damon interrogated Stefan sharply. "You won't relapse as soon as you catch the scent of human blood?"

"I won't," Stefan promised firmly and Elena smiled.

"Good," Damon said and walked away, leaving Stefan and Elena confused.

"Damon?" Elena called after him but he was already gone.

Damon passed by the fridge to grab a blood bag and then went upstairs to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

It was human blood. Damon couldn't care less as he lay down on his bed and drank. He didn't care that the scent might turn Stefan back into a monster. He didn't care that he had wanted to stick to animal blood to impress Elena. Nothing mattered anymore because Elena didn't care so much about him anymore. She had her beloved Stefan back now. He was all she needed and she didn't hesitate to show it to the world…

* * *

After her reunion with Stefan Elena went home because Jenna had asked her to be there at dinnertime. Elena was overjoyed. Despite her doubts Stefan had managed to find back to his old self. She had missed him so much.

When Elena got home and met Jenna and Alaric in the hallway her mood sank quickly. The two had obviously been waiting for her.

"Welcome home," Jenna greeted her and Alaric said "Hi, Elena."

"Hi…" Elena replied, eying them suspiciously.

"Where've you been?" Jenna asked conversationally but Elena didn't fall for it. She knew she had to be on guard.

"With Damon," she answered reflexively. "And Stefan," she added quickly.

"You've been there everyday this week. Is something wrong?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah, um, Stefan is… was sick," Elena corrected herself.

"Oh, what has he has got?" Jenna kept asking.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you," Elena evaded, exchanging a glance with Saltzman.

"Could you tell_ me_?" he inquired.

"I could," Elena began. "But please don't force me to, okay?" she said and walked past them into the kitchen. She could hear them whisper things like "Do you want me to tell her?" "No, I'll do it later."

Annoyed that they were keeping secrets from her Elena took a seat next to Jeremy.

"They've been talking about you all the time but I couldn't make something out of it yet," he told her.

"Tell me when you have figured it out," Elena replied just when they heard the front door close and Jenna entered the kitchen, pretending that nothing was wrong.

* * *

Elena didn't know that she would learn soon enough what Jenna and Alaric Saltzman had been talking about. Monday, at the end of third period Saltzman decided to fill her in.

"Elena, I'd like to talk to you for a minute." He added to Bonnie and Caroline "Alone." Rolling their eyes the two girls took off, leaving Saltzman alone with Elena in the classroom. "Close the door, please." Elena closed the door and walked up to Saltzman who was leaning against the teacher's desk.

"What's up, Mr Saltzman?" she asked as casually as she could.

"Alaric," Saltzman corrected. "Considering the fact that I'm dating your aunt and what I'm about to tell you it's appropriate for you to call me by my first name." Elena nodded, waiting for him to go on. "I know it's none of our business… but Jenna and I, we've been wondering… what's with you and Damon."

"Nothing," Elena answered reflexively. "We're friends."

"You, um… seemed very close to each other when you were dancing last week," Saltzman persisted.

"He just filled in for Stefan because he was sick."

"And you still refuse to tell me what sickness he had?" Saltzman assumed loudly.

"Yes," Elena confirmed. "But why do you ask?"

Saltzman sighed deeply, walked around the desk and leaned on it, supporting himself with his hands. He gave her a painful look mixed with sadness. "I hate doing the dirty work, believe me," he told her. "But someone has to tell you…" He paused for a second and the started to share what had been haunting him for almost two years now. "I had a wife. She was beautiful and caring and I knew I loved her the moment I first met her. We got married even before we graduated from college. We had a happy marriage." He closed his eyes for a moment, reliving his memories. "But it ended too soon and in the most horrible way," he went on. "One day I came home from work and found a vampire feeding on her. I called the police for help and when we came back both my wife and the vampire were gone."

"I'm sorry," Elena said compassionately.

"There's more to it," Saltzman replied brusquely. "That's the reason why I came to Mystic Falls. I knew I'd find the vampire here and I did. It was Damon," he told her and Elena's eyes widened. She was staring at the teacher, unable to speak. "You're not going to ask her name?" he observed.

"I'm sorry," Elena said quickly, feeling that she was about to learn something she wouldn't like. "What was her name?"

"Her name was Isabol." Elena gasped loudly. Hearing the name Isabol she immediately thought of her birth mother who had given her up for adoption. But it couldn't be her, it just couldn't. Stuck in turmoil of emotions Elena's eyes filled with water. Her hand covered her mouth whenever she was crying. She lifted her eyes to met Saltzman's gaze. It was full of compassion.

"I checked with Jenna," he told her. "We're positive. Isabol was your mother."

"Oh my god…" Elena let out a loud sob as she took the information in.

"I'm sorry," Saltzman said, walked past her and left to give her some privacy.

* * *

"Elena's ignoring me," Damon concluded and put his cell phone on the coffee table. He took the glass filled with human blood which he had placed there, sipping on it. From the corner of his eye he thought to see an evil grin on his brother's face saying something like "Serves you right" but then Stefan's facial expression was almost bored.

"Maybe her phone's off," he suggested.

"Two dial tones followed by voicemail? I don't think so. She's ignoring me," Damon insisted. "I'd like to know what I did this time. Anyway, whatever it is, I'll know it soon because she'll come over to stick it to me."

Damon redirected his attention to the picture in his hand showing Saltzman's wife Isabol which he had forgotten there. Due to Stefan Damon had completely forgotten that he had been going to refresh his memories on that woman. Well, now he had plenty of time.

"Who's her?" Stefan asked casually, taking a seat next to him.

"Saltzman's wife Isabol. The one I'm supposed to have killed," Damon droned.

"Wait, did you say Isabol?"

"Yeah."

"Elena's birth mother is called Isabol," Stefan told him.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm serious."

They stared at each other for a moment until an angry shout broke the silence.

"DAMON!"

"Shoot," Damon cursed and got up the moment Elena entered the parlor.

"Hey, you've been ignoring me."

"I needed to decide whether I should talk to your first or just drive a stake through your heart without a word," she told him coldly.

"Um, excuse me?" Damon said, pretending to not know what she was talking about but she ignored him. Her eyes wandered to picture in his hand.

"Ha! So it's true!"

Damon silently cursed himself for his own stupidity.

"Elena, calm down first," Stefan said soothingly. "And then you can talk about it."

"There's nothing left to talk about!" Elena flared up, looking at Damon with pure hate in her eyes. "You killed my mother! And what's even worse, you kept it from me all the time!"

"I didn't even know she was your mother until Stefan told me a minute ago!"

"That doesn't change anything!" she shouted. "Alaric told me everything!"

"Don't you wanna hear my version of the story?"

"You can shove it up your–"

"So you trust that stupid teacher who's screwing over your aunt rather than me?" Damon demanded angrily. He couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Yes because he isn't a self-serving psychopath like you!" She shook her head in disbelief. "Just as I was starting to think that there was something redeemable about you. But, please, go ahead. Reminisce about how you killed. I never wanna see you again!"

And with that she stormed out of the parlor.

"Elena!" Stefan called after her.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted back and then she was gone.

Damon was still standing on the spot where she had left him; staring after her. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Not only did Elena think he killed her mother but she also made it very clear that she didn't trust him and moreover didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.

How was he ever going to turn it around?

* * *

The tears were already running again when Elena arrived at home. Like the night before she met Jenna in the hallway, this time without Saltzman.

"Elena, they told me you'd skipped classes," Jenna said but stopped when she noticed that Elena was crying. "Elena, what's wrong?"

Sobbing hard Elena collapsed into Jenna's arms. Jenna, completely overwhelmed by the situation, patted her back soothingly.

"So you know…" she figured after a while. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. He had all of us fooled."

That day they told Jeremy everything. That Elena was adopted and everything they knew about Isabol. Jeremy took the fact that Elena wasn't his biological sister lightly but like everyone else he was angry at Damon as he had started to trust him for his sister's sake, too.

Later in the evening Alaric dropped by. He apologized for upsetting Elena but she told him she was glad that he had been honest with her. She didn't dare to imagine how far she might have gone with Damon if he hadn't told her. She couldn't believe that she had entrusted her life with the person who had killed her mother. Jenna and Saltzman also told her that Alaric wasn't her father but promised to help her collecting information about Isabol and her father.

And all the while Elena was crying. She was crying over the fact that her last chance of getting to know her birth mother was gone and she was crying over the lost friendship with Damon.

* * *

_I have nothing left to give  
I have found the perfect end  
You were made to make it hurt_

_Leave me alone_

_God let me go_

_I'm blue and cold_

_Love pull me down_

_Hate lift me up_

_There's nothing left_

_Dear Agony  
Just let go of me  
Suffer slowly  
Is this the way it's got to be?  
_

_I feel nothing anymore

* * *

AN: ;__; *at loss for words*_


	25. It's Not Me It's You

_I couldn't resist the urge to keep writing. Good for you. I have another chapter for you today and if I'll hurry yet another one tomorrow. Nothing much is happening in this chapter though... but in the end. Enjoy!_

_BTW: Thank you for more than 200 reviews! I never received so many! Thank you so much!_

* * *

**Chapter 25: ****It's Not Me, It's You**

_Let's get the story straight_  
_You were a poison_  
_You flooded through my veins_  
_You left me broken_

_With the pain you put me through_  
_And now I know that it's not me it's you_

_Always has been you_  
_All the lies and stupid things you say and do_  
_It's not me it's you_  
_All the lies and pain you put me through_  
_I know that it's not me it's you_

* * *

The friendship between Elena and Damon seemed to be completely and irrevocably destroyed with no chance of reconciliation in the near future. Elena could be very resentful and Damon couldn't blame her. However he found it unfair not to be allowed to explain himself to her. She only knew half the story. Of course that stupid teacher had kept the most important part to himself. Maybe because he hadn't believed Damon's version. And Elena wouldn't either if more time passed. He needed to talk to her! Not only to rectify that matter but also because – as hard as it was for him to admit it himself – he was missing her. He had gotten so used to her company over the last months that he felt like a piece of him was missing.

Two weeks had passed since he had seen Elena and talked to her. She didn't answer his calls and text messages. So he decided to try to us different ways to communicate with her.

Tuesday morning he went to Mystic Falls Highschool, looking for Jeremy. He found him in front of the building, hooking up his bike. Damon seemed to have a lucky day. Usually Jeremy drove with Elena to school. Jeremy had already spotted him but chose to ignore him and walked up to the entrance when Damon approached him.

"Hey, Jeremy! What's up?"

Jeremy turned around and glared at him. "What do you want, Damon?"

"Can't I just say hello?" Damon replied innocently.

"You don't just want to say hello," Jeremy said. "So what do you want?"

"Well, I thought, you could talk to your sister–" Damon began but Jeremy cut him off.

"You don't get anything, do you? You hurt her! You made her cry!"

"It's just a misunderstanding."

"Right." Jeremy snorted. "Leave us alone or I might follow in my ancestor's footsteps."

"Wanna see you try," Damon mocked. Where had that come from? Why did his oversized ego had to interfere now of all times?

"Watch me," Jeremy said menacingly. "Get lost, man. I mean it."

Jeremy entered the building and Damon turned around to leave, almost bumping into Alaric Saltzman.

"You!" Damon growled.

"Me," Saltzman said calmly. "Would you get out of my way, please?"

"You incited Elena against me!"

"Elena deserved to know the truth," Saltzman stated simply. "Even if she isn't my daughter, she's still Isabol's and Isabol would have wanted me to protect her from guys like you."

"Cute, really," Damon mocked. "But you only told Elena half the story. What about the part I told you?"

"You mean your little story?" the teacher replied. "You didn't think I'd believed that, did you? I know what I saw. I don't know what you did to her body but be sure that I'll figure it out. And now get out of my way." When Damon didn't move he added "You probably don't know it but I'm a full-fledged vampire slayer. I have all kinds of cute little devices to knock out or even kill you on the spot."

Damon snorted. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?"

They glared at each other. Saltzman's gaze was determined and Damon realized that he wasn't bluffing. He decided to not take chances since Saltzman was already the second person threatening him within ten minutes. And that really couldn't be healthy. Reluctantly Damon stepped aside to let the teacher pass him by. Saltzman flashed a superior grin to him and walked into the building. Frustrated Damon returned home, calming down by getting drunk.

* * *

At the same time Stefan was trying to talk Elena into giving Damon a chance to tell his version of what had happened the night Isabol disappeared.

"It won't hurt to hear him out," Stefan reason.

"You sure?" Elena knew better.

"What if there's more to it?" Stefan considered. "More than Saltzman knows."

Elena slammed her locker shut with a loud bang and turned to him.

"Who's side are you on?" she demanded angrily.

"On no one's," Stefan said plainly. "It's your fight. I'm just saying that there might be a possibility–"

"Stop defending him!" Elena shouted and many heads turned to her. "He killed her! There's nothing more to it. He's a cold-blooded murderer. He's always been. I know he's your bother and you care about him. But I'm your girlfriend and a minute ago I thought you'd care about my feelings, too. Hurry up and choose a side or leave."

Elena grabbed her bag and stomped off. Stefan stared after her, not believing that it had been Elena he'd just talked to. She seemed like a whole different person to him, completely blinded by her anger.

* * *

What Stefan didn't know was that deep inside Elena was hurting. Her heart was aching because she was missing Damon. And she wanted to hear him out but she knew that it wouldn't change anything. No matter what he would tell her she would find herself unable to believe him. She couldn't trust him anymore and she didn't think she would be able to ever again.

* * *

When Stefan returned home he found Damon sitting in the parlor, drinking.

"You're early."

"I wasn't in the mood for school," Stefan told him and took a seat next to him. "I had a fight with Elena."

"Welcome to the club."

"I tried to talk to her but she wouldn't listen. She got angry because I'm defending you."

"You're not defending me," Damon said and took a sip. "You only tried to talk her into hearing me out because I asked you to."

"Were you more successful with Jeremy," Stefan asked.

"Depends on how you define success," Damon answered. "I made two new enemies and received two I'm-gonna-kill-you threats."

"Two?"

"I ran into Saltzman."

"Oh…"

"Yup." Damon emptied his glass and looked at Stefan. "Why are you doing this anyway? Helping me?"

"I honestly don't know," Stefan replied. "But you're trying so hard to tell your version of the story that it makes me believe that there's really more to it." Damon nodded in confirmation. "What happened back then, Damon?"

Damon was silent for a moment. "I don't want to tell it twice."

Stefan didn't keep asking after that. They sat silently beside each other, each of them lost in thoughts.

Then suddenly the doorbell rang and they snapped out of their trances.

"Elena?"

In an instant Damon was at the door to answer it. A wide smile was on his lips when he opened the door but it quickly faded away when he saw who was standing outside.

"You…"

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Anna said.

"I thought you'd run with your mom," Damon said, closing the door after Anna had entered.

"We did," Anna confirmed. "We found a little place to stay outside of Alabama."

"Alabama?" Damon repeated. "What dragged you there?"

"It's nice," Anna said, taking a seat on the couch. "We have our peace and quiet. Well, we had until yesterday morning," she corrected herself darkly.

"Why, what happened?" Stefan asked.

"Why don't you ask your brother?" Anna replied angrily and turned to Damon. "Katherine came to see us yesterday."

"Wait, what?"

Anna ignored Stefan's remark and glared at Damon. "How could you tell her that you opened the tomb?! My mom wasn't planning to see her ever again. She was the reason my mom got caught because she raised suspicions by playing with you guys!"

"Wait, bring me to up-to-date," Stefan interrupted, looking surprised at Damon. "You met Katherine?!"

"Yeah, I did. Nothing worth sharing, really," Damon said irritated. "Look, it just slipped out, okay? Although she mentioned back then that she was going to pay Pearl a visit."

"Well, now she has another objective," Anna told them. "That's why I came here. To warn you."

"What's she up to now?" Damon inquired.

"Actually you should know best," Anna said. "Don't you remember anything in particular you said to her?"

Damon looked at her, confused. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about at first but then he recalled the conversation he had had with Katherine.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_"Katherine, wait."_

_"Katherine turned around to him, smiling. "Yes?"_

_"Can I ask you something?"_

_"Sure."_

**END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

**

Damon cursed. "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't but my mom babbled," Anna admitted. "She told her she'd seen a girl that looked her and some guys who escaped from the tomb confirmed it." Anna paused for a second, looking straight into Damon's eyes. "She's coming here. I don't know when but she's definitely coming."

Damon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"What does that mean?" Stefan demanded. "Damon, is Elena in danger?"

"Big time," Damon said and slumped on the couch. He was shocked. Katherine was coming. It couldn't be happening. He looked at Stefan who was staring at him in confusion. "What are you waiting for?! Hurry up and call her!"

* * *

_Whooo, Katherine's coming. Finally the story is getting somewhere. In the next chapter you'll learn why Elena is danger. I already have a rough draft and know how I'll end it but I don't know how much time it will take me to get there. I'll try to upload it tomorrow. _


	26. I'm Staring At The Mess I Made

_New chapter! Now you'll learn what happened back then when Damon met Katherine and the huge mistake he made.^^ Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 26:**** I'm Staring At The Mess I Made**

_Should've held my ground  
I could've been redeemed  
For every second chance  
That changed its mind on me  
I should've spoken up  
I should've proudly claimed  
That oh my head's to blame  
For all my heart's mistakes_

_I'm staring at the mess I made

* * *

_

Half an hour later Elena arrived, obviously not happy to see Damon again but somehow Stefan had persuaded her to come. He had sounded very worried. When Elena entered the parlor Damon was sitting, apathetically on the couch, staring into the fire and she was surprised to find Anna sit there, too.

"Anna?"

"Hey, Elena. How's Jeremy?" Anna asked her smiling.

Elena ignored her. She walked around the couch and came to a halt in front of Damon. She looked sternly at him with her arms crossed.

"This better be not a trick to get me to listen to you," she said through clenched teeth.

Hearing her voice Damon snapped out of his trance.

"It's about life and death. Is that a good enough reason for you to come?" Damon spat.

Elena's eyes narrowed. "What did you do now?"

"Not now, back then," Damon corrected. "Sit down. I need to stand."

Damon got up and Elena took a seat next to Anna who was watching them curiously. Stefan sat down on the arm of the couch, taking Elena's hand and looking at her encouragingly. Elena's gaze wandered from his face back to Damon's.

"Spill."

Damon inhaled deeply and started pacing around.

"Remember when I told you that I knew how you were connected to Katherine but that I didn't want you to know it?" Elena nodded, suddenly attentive because she was about to receive answers she had been searching for ages. "Well, I still don't want to tell you but now with Katherine coming here I have to."

"Wait, Katherine's coming here?"

"Yes, apparently she knows about you. Some of the guys we didn't kill must have told her."

"_Didn't_ kill?" Stefan repeated.

"Yeah, we played Van Helsing and staked a few vampires from the tomb," Damon told him briefly. "Can I tell the story now without interruptions?"

"Wait, a second," Elena said. "Why is she coming after me?"

"You're her doppelganger. Of course she wants to meet you," Anna replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but that's only part of it." Damon resumed telling the story. "Back then when I met Katherine I did something really stupid."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_'Sure, go ahead," Katherine encouraged him smiling._

_"Look, I know it sounds stupid but…" Damon began. "Some time ago I saw a woman who looked very similar to you. Did you by any chance have a sister? Or a child before you were turned?"_

_Katherine's smile didn't fade. "Yes, in fact I had twin sister called Vivien. You probably saw one of her descendants. Where did you see her? I haven't seen family in years."_

_"Oh, I can't remember," Damon evaded quickly. "I've been traveling around a lot. I lost track. I was just curious."_

_"I see," was all Katherine said before she fell silent. Damon watched her closely. She seemed to be lost in thoughts and maybe even sad? He wasn't sure. "Unfortunately, I never had a child before I was turned. And vampires can't give birth… But I've been trying to get a child."_

_"You mean adopt one?" Damon asked._

_"No, silly," Katherine answered, treating him a like a stupid little boy. "Everyone could tell that it's not my child because it wouldn't look like me."_

_"Then how are you gonna get a child if not through adoption?" Damon inquired._

_"I'll tell you but you have to promise to keep it a secret," Katherine replied sweetly and put one finger on her mouth. Damon made the promise, knowing he would break it some day for the sake of Elena. And the Katherine began telling him how she had been trying to get a look-a-like child._

_"As I can't have a child I waited until my sister got pregnant and I wanted to steal her child just after its birth. My sister knew this and she managed to have the child without my notice and gave it up for adoption, impossible for me to track it down. It took me years to find my niece and I tried it over again. But someone must have told her. She outwitted me like her mother before and I lost her trace and her child's. They've fooled me. But they won't next time. Next time I find one of her descendants I'll make sure that her child will be mine."_

**END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

**

Damon's gaze fell upon Elena. She was sitting on the couch, hugger her knees to her chest. Her gaze was empty as she stared into the fire.

"So I am related to Katherine in some way," she murmured after a while. "She's my Great-great-great aunt."

Damon stared at her in disbelief that that was the only thing she cared about. "Haven't you been paying attention or are you intentionally ignoring the most important part of it?"

Elena head snapped up and she looked straight into his eyes. Her cold gaze pierced them.

"Oh, I have been paying attention. Your psychopath vampire ex terrorized my family since back the 1800th and now she's after me because she wants to capture me until I have a child she can steal from me!" She got up abruptly, standing only inches away from Damon now. "And everything just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut and ask her. Like she wouldn't get suspicious! Oh and this," she added furiously to Stefan, ripping her necklace off and throwing it past him. It first hit the wall and then the ground. "You can keep it. Something you had for a while? Of course because it's Katherine's! I saw on her in the picture you've kept until now! How stupid do you think I am? Putting some verveine into it doesn't change the fact! And you," she turned back to Damon.

"You're missing the point, here," Damon cut her off. "I only asked because I know there was someone brooding over Oh, how am I connected to Katherine and why do I look like her?" he imitated her. "You even begged me to tell you when we were on our way to Florida. Thank God, I kept my mouth shut. That subject would've clearly soured the mood."

Elena turned away from him, facing Stefan. "I don't know why you're freaking out. I'll be welcoming her and give her what she deserves." She turned back to Damon. "Where'd you put the stakes?" But Damon only shook his head in disbelief.

"It's enough if one of us already holds some grudge against her. Two would be… unhealthy."

"So you're defending her?!"

"No, I'm not. Certainly not but–"

"The thing is–" Stefan began.

"The thing is that the last thing we need now is a vengeful Elena," Damon said. "I'm sorry but you have no chance against her. She'd kill you. And don't even start. I definitely won't play the Good Samaritan and save you on your suicide mission."

"Thanks, Damon," Elena snarled.

"I think Damon just wants to point out that it's useless," Stefan said and Damon nodded affirmatively.

"Oh, screw it," Anna chimed in. "Don't listen to him. The only reason he doesn't want you to kill her is because he doesn't want her to die. What part of 'She didn't care' didn't you get?" Anna added to Damon. "No, go for it. I might even join you. I'm sick of that bitch."

"Don't call her that!" Damon shouted.

"See?" Anna said to Elena. "He's so obvious." She got up. "Call me when you're up for it. Your brother has my number. Bye."

"Where are you going?" Damon demanded as she walked to the front door.

"I'm gonna pay Jeremy a visit," she answered smiling. "Rekindle our friendship."

"No, you're not!" Elena snapped angrily. "Don't think I've forgotten what you were up to the time he got close to you."

"She won't do anything to him if she isn't incredibly stupid," Damon commented.

"Which I'm not," Anna confirmed. "Things changed. It's none of your business, Elena but I actually like your brother. I won't do anything to hurt him. Not anymore."

Elena nodded slightly and Anna left.

"We're leaving, too," Damon said now, grabbed Elena's hand and dragged her to the front door.

"What? Where are you going?" Elena demanded.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually going to make up for my mistake and make sure she won't find you so easily."

"Damon!" Stefan said.

"You'll stay here!" Damon told him. "She'll come to this place first. I need you to distract her for a while until we're done. Don't lose sight of her!"

And with that Damon opened the door and left with a protesting Elena on his trail.

* * *

_Okay, two things. _

_About the necklace, I know it's not the same but I think it looks very similar to Katherine's so let us please pretend it is the same as this is fiction._

_About the psycho vampire ex: I really really really HATE Katherine, so I think that's pretty much the reason I would let her do something cruel like that. _

_So how do you like it?_

_Chapter 27 might be online on Tuesday because most of my classes are canceled due to the A Leve exams. Watch out for it!  
_


	27. Dancing In The Dark

_Only one day belated. Cheer guys because that's quite something considering that I have to study for me Spanish exam tomorrow and all the homework they pester us with . Anyway I made a few breaks to distract myself and continued the story. Finally Katherine appears and there will be some Janna, too because I think they are so cute together! Enjoy!_

* * *

_**Chapter 27: ****Dancing In The Dark**_

_Can we try again to start a new and lovely story_

_That will shine a ray of light upon our hearts_

_And bring back long lost glory_

_Of how it used to be_

_Baby you and me_

_Convinced we were each others destiny_

_Every time I think of us my eyes are filled with tears  
To think that I gave in to sweet temptation  
His words like music to my ears  
I hope it's not too late  
That you still await  
Oh please tell me that you're still having faith_

_My heart cries out to you  
You must forgive me  
I've been dancing in the dark  
I've been searching for a spark  
I believe we'll make it through  
If you stand by me

* * *

_

Thanks to a midterm exam which he finished early Jeremy was allowed to leave school already around midday. He had just arrived home when the doorbell rang. On his way to the door he briefly wondered who was visiting at a time like this and was surprised to find an old friend on the threshold.

"Anna!"

"Stalker chick's back," she said grinning shyly at him. Jeremy stared at her, speechless. Frankly she was one of the people he hadn't expected to see anytime soon. Anna's smile disappeared. "Sorry for dropping by so suddenly. I thought you'd be psyched."

"I am psyched," Jeremy said quickly. "I just didn't expect to see you so soon again. Didn't you tell me you were going to leave town with your mother?"

"We did. I'm just passing by and felt like saying hi. Thought you'd be happy to see me."

"I am happy," Jeremy emphasized. "Come on in."

Anna smiled and entered the house. Jeremy closed the door after her, then turned around and followed her into the living room, feeling a little uneasy.

"I was just going to make a sandwich. You hungry?" he asked but quickly dismissed that thought. "Oh, sorry, I forgot, vampires don't eat, right?"

Anna turned around and stared at him, shocked.

"Oops," Jeremy said and scratched his head in a shy way.

* * *

"The costume rental?" Elena read aloud when they stopped in front of the shop. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I can't think under pressure," Damon said and handed her his golden MasterCard. "Here. Change your looks. Your hair. Take blond and not curls!"

"I'm not dumb!"

"Good," he said and ushered her into the shop. Once she was inside Damon started scanning the area, all his senses on alert. He wanted to be prepared if Katherine chose to come along this way.

Inside the costume rental Elena didn't really know what to look for. A little lost she walked around, tripping twice over stuff that was placed in the middle of the room. The shop was stuffed.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

"Uah!" Elena jumped at the sudden voice behind her. She'd watched Damon through the window and not noticed the shop assistant sneaking up on her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss. I didn't want to startle you."

"It's okay," Elena breathed and turned around to the shop assistant. She hadn't realized how on edge she was.

"What can I do for you?" the woman asked friendly.

"Um, I'm looking for something like a wig… in blond," Elena explained. "Do you have something like that in here?"

"Yes," of course the woman said. "Follow me, please."

* * *

"Excuse me?" Anna said, shocked.

"It's okay. I found it out on my own," Jeremy replied soothingly but it didn't work. Anna was still taken aback by the news.

"How?" she inquired.

"I had a friend," he began. "Vicky. She started acting all weird like she was on drugs but I didn't think she was. She tried to bite me to the neck. At first I didn't think much about it but then I met you and you told me about vampires. I figured that there might be such a thing like vampires. At some point I started doing research on vampires and my sister caught me off guard which was good because she and Damon told me that Vicky had really been a vampire."

"And how did you find out I am one, too?" Anna asked.

"I don't really know. I'd forgotten all about Vicky but when you gave me those articles I started to believe in vampires and I thought maybe they aren't as creepy as everyone imagines them. Maybe they're just misunderstood. Maybe they're almost like us and good. And then I saw your face and how it changed after that pathetic kiss in the woods," Jeremy finished.

"It wasn't pathetic," Anna replied to cheer him up. "So I kinda pushed you into that direction, huh?"

"Did you?"

"Well, not intentionally," Anna admitted. "So you're not afraid?"

"No." Jeremy smiled at her. "So far you didn't hurt me."

"How much do you actually know?" Anna demanded, feeling suddenly uneasy since she had originally planned to hurt him.

"Do you want to discuss it all standing?" Jeremy said. "Let's sit down and I'll tell you everything I know."

They sat down on the couch and Jeremy started to tell.

* * *

Outside in front of the shop Damon tensed up. He felt a familiar presence approach. He looked over his shoulder through the window into the costume rental but couldn't see Elena. So he turned around again and then he inhaled sharply.

Katherine was standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Mr Salvatore," she greeted him politely, giving him her sweetest smile.

"Katherine? What are you doing here?" Damon asked, trying to sound as authentic as possible.

"I felt like coming to Mystic Falls and pay a visit to some old friends," she told him in her childish tone.

So that hadn't changed about her. Neither had her irresistible gaze she captured him with or her delicate smile.

Damon violently shook his head and Katherine laughed. What was happening to him?

* * *

Elena was just paying for her wig – she'd chosen a short, blond one that she had already put on. She glanced outside and gasped when she saw Katherine talking to Damon.

"There she is, that bitch," she growled. The shop assistant followed her gaze and smiled knowingly. Elena was too stunned by Katherine's presence to notice it. What was Katherine doing here? Hadn't Damon expected her to go to the Salvatore manor first?

Katherine was smiling at Damon in a childish way. Her eyes seemed to sparkle. How did she do that? Elena turned her gaze to Damon's face and slammed his credit cared onto the counter to pay with it. Was that a dreamy expression she found there plastered on his face? Dreaming like he was in paradise because the love of his life is back?

_Just you wait…

* * *

_

"Elena and Damon told me a couple of things. Like that as a vampire you're free to make the choice."

"What choice?"

"The choice whether you fed on human or animal blood," Jeremy answered.

Anna laughed darkly. "Let me guess. She told you the good vampires feed on animals and the bad ones on humans?" she mocked. "Well, it's not that easy."

"Then tell me how it really is," Jeremy encouraged her.

"Well, it is true that you can make the choice but not every vampire has the discipline to stick to it. What about the vampires who don't kill anyone but feed on donated blood from the blood bank? Would you call them evil?"

"No, as long as they not kill anyone…"

"See. That's me for example. I got the blood bank once a week and grab a couple of blood bags. I am completely under control."

Jeremy nodded. "So only the ones who attack people and feed from them are evil."

"Right." She gave him a small smile. "What else did they tell you?" Did they tell you anything about me?"

"Well, I asked them what you were. Good or evil," Jeremy explained. "And Elena said you were gonna make a midnight snack out of me? But Damon said you were good but had been different back then because you wanted to get your mother back. I didn't really get it though."

Anna sighed. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Jeremy. I'll tell you why I met you by the old Fell's Church that night." She took a deep breath and filled him in on everything. That her vampire mother had been locked up in a tomb underneath the church and that she had planned to give his blood to her mother to reawaken her but had ended up feeding her Elena's blood instead.

"When I met you, you were just a part of my plan to get my mother back but then things changed. I would never do anything to hurt you. Not now after all the time we spent together. And…" Anna hesitated for a moment. "And I like you."

"Jeremy's face lit up and he smiled. "You do?"

"Yeah." If she had been human now Anna would have blushed.

"That's great," Jeremy said. "Because I like you, too."

Anna smiled and met him halfway when he leaned in closer. Their lips met for a gently caressing.

"So, do vampires eat human food now?" Jeremy asked. "Because I'm actually pretty hungry."

Anna laughed. "Well then. I can't let you starve. Go ahead and eat, boy," she said, got up, pulling him with her and gently pushed him toward the kitchen.

* * *

Katherine smiled innocently at Damon who couldn't help but smile, too. Her smile made him smile.

"And what are you doing here, Damon?" Katherine asked now.

"Me? Oh, I'm waiting for someone," Damon answered airily.

"A certain someone?"

"He's waiting for me," a cold voice pointed out.

Elena had stepped out of the shop and glared at Katherine. "And I don't like other girls hitting on my boyfriend. Who are you?"

Damon grinned. He had almost not recognized Elena with her new looks. He smirked at the fact that blond didn't suit her at all but that wasn't the reason she was wearing the wig, wasn't it? And he smirked at Elena's claim that she was her boyfriend and the jealously he could clearly hear in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself," Katherine replied politely. "My name's Katherine Pierce." She offered her hand to Elena who shook it hesitantly. I know Damon from the past. And you are?"

"I'm… Sarah." It was the first name that came to her mind. "Sarah Gilbert." Elena knew she should have thought of a different surname as well but her hesitation would have been suspicious.

Katherine's eye widened in surprise. "Gilbert, you say? I actually knew a Gilbert once."

"Oh really?" Elena didn't hide her lacking interest. She wanted to leave now. She couldn't stand to be any longer with Katherine in one place. She might blow her cover sooner or later. So she turned to Damon, gazing at him with puppy eyes. "Can we leave, please? We're gonna be late, you know? Honey, I'm talking to you!"

It took Damon a second to catch her request. He had yet again lost himself in Katherine's eyes but the 'honey' which sounded like music in his ears he did not miss and snapped out of it.

"Uh, sure. Well, goodbye, Katherine," he said to Elena's doppelganger.

"Goodbye, Damon," Katherine replied smiling sweetly. "I might stay a little while in Mystic Falls and pay a visit to you and Stefan."

"Uh, yeah, sure, " Damon said while being dragged away by Elena. "Bye."

He faced forward, glanced at Elena and grinned at her. Elena caught his grin and glared at him.

"Jealous, much?" Damon asked her smirking.

"No, that's not it," Elena snarled. "You're such an idiot." She let go of him. "I want to go home," she told him icily. "Since I don't have any verveine on me I can at least expect you to take me there, can't I?"

"I would have done it anyway," Damon let her know, wondering why she was mad at him. Was she still mad at him for the same old story and had just put on an act in front of Katherine? For some reason he didn't want to believe that.

They didn't speak a word on their way to the Gilbert residence and when they arrived there Elena didn't even say goodbye to Damon and entered the house without looking back and missed his disappointed face.

Jenna wasn't home. She was still at work which was good because Elena didn't want her to know that she was cutting again. She would have to explain why and the reason was such a bombshell that she thought her head was going to burst. Jeremy wasn't home either so Elena had some time for herself which she urgently needed.

She went upstairs and slumped on her bed. She sent Stefan a text that she was fine and didn't want him to come over and then the grabbed her diary and began writing down everything that had happened during the last couple of hours. Only to be more upset in the end.

At some point she put her diary aside, got up and walked over to the mirror. She looked terrible. A large frown was on her forehead. She sighed and closed her eyes for a second.

And when she opened them again she wasn't surprised to see Damon's reflection in the mirror. Elena turned around to face him who was standing by the window.

"What do you want?"

"Don't," Damon said pained. "Not in that tone."

She stared at him in disbelief and opened her mouth to snap at him but then she closed it again.

"What do you want?" she asked calmer now.

"I got you something," Damon told her, took something out of his jacket pocket and held it in front of her so she could take a look at it. It was a necklace.

"Another reminder of Katherine?"

"No," Damon answered. "I just bought it."

Elena walked over to him to take a closer look at the object. It was a silver locket in the shape of a circle and a piece of jewel – a ruby – was engraved in it.

"It's beautiful," Elena said. "For me?" she added incredulously.

Damon nodded. "Come, I'll help you with it." He put on the necklace and they admired it in the mirror.

"It's really beautiful, Damon. Thank you." She didn't know why he had gotten her this necklace but she took it as an apology for being a jerk earlier and her anger toward him started to subside.

A shiver ran through her body when Damon put his hands on her shoulders, leaned in from behind and whispered into her ear.

"Something to remember me by and of course it's for protection as well."

"Verveine," Elena figured.

"I wondered how to get in on again so I just ended up getting you another necklace."

"Smart."

"Not really," Damon admitted. "But I didn't want to leave your unprotected with Katherine around. Her powers are unimaginable."

"I know. I just witnessed them," Elena replied and didn't even try to keep her pain out of her voice.

"So you are jealous!" Damon said triumphantly.

"Am not."

"Yes, you are but that's fine. It's cute," he told her softly. "But there's no need to worry."

"So you're not gonna fall for her again and hand me over to her?"

Damon chuckled but quickly stopped when he realized that Elena was serious.

"No, Elena. I am finally over her."

He smiled at her encouragingly and Elena smiled shyly back. For some reason she couldn't believe him. Not after she had seen how he had acted in front of Katherine. It was obvious that she still had him under her spell.

"Elena?" Damon's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Hear me out. You don't have to believe me. In fact I doubt that you will. But just let me tell you what happened. Please."

Elena sighed and turned around, looking into his eyes. They were pleading in the most sincere way.

"Okay."

A trace of relief flashed across Damon's face. "Thanks. I promise I'll make it short."

He put his arm around her waist and led her to the bed. They took a seat. Damon cleared his throat and began to tell.

"I met your mother two years ago. She somehow recognized me as a vampire and that's why she approached me. Later she told me she'd been doing research on vampires and their real existence. She was so fascinated by vampires. She was obsessed with them. She asked me to tell her everything about us and – you won't like that part very much – she was quite attracted to me." Elena grimaced and looked at him disgustedly. "I'll just skip over to the next part. Anyway, after that she asked me how we turn humans into vampires and I told her. And then she did the unexpected: she asked me turn her, she practically begged me to turn her." Damon paused, waiting for a reaction from Elena and when none came he continued. "I agreed on one condition. I wanted her blood of course. She didn't mind. So we had a little blood exchange. I fed her some of my blood first and then I took what she'd offered me. That was the moment Saltzman walked in on us. He thinks I was so busy draining her that I didn't acknowledge his presence but I did. And the moment he left I stopped drinking from her and left, too. I just left without keeping me promise to turn her. That's who I was back then, Elena. A total jerk who didn't care about anyone but himself. I don't know what happened to your mother. I never saw her again." Damon had finished his story and now looked expectantly at Elena whose face was blank. "You don't believe me." It wasn't a question but a statement.

"No, I believe you," Elena contradicted and surprised him with that. "Actually, it makes sense. All of it."

"Really? Not for me…"

"Look," Elena started to explain. "My mom knew about Katherine and her goal. That's why she gave me up for adoption so that Katherine wouldn't find me." Damon nodded. "And later she asked you to turn her into a vampire because she knew vampires can't get pregnant. She didn't want to fear losing her child to Katherine again that's why she wanted you to turn her."

"There are other ways," Damon began.

"I know but you said she was obsessed with vampires. Maybe she just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when she met you."

"You mean, use me."

"It was a fair trade. You fed from her," Elena reminded him sternly.

"True. But that still doesn't explain what happened to her after I left. She's missing for two years now," Damon said.

"Maybe someone else turned her," Elena mused.

"Or maybe she committed suicide in order to complete the transition…"

"Wouldn't surprise me. She was probably devastated after you left her with nothing. Or maybe she just ran away and started a new life somewhere else where she didn't have to explain to her husband."

"So is Saltzman your father?" Damon asked.

"No, he isn't. He did a test," Elena told him. "But he promised to help me find out who my father is."

Damon nodded. Elena lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"So you forgive me now?" Damon asked.

"I'm not the one who's to decide whether to forgive you or not."

"You know what I mean."

"Well, you didn't kill her. You say you didn't and I believe you. So we're cool," Elena said. Even though her eyes were closed she believed to see Damon smile. "Will you stay here a little longer?"

"Actually, I better go home and tell Stefan what happened. He might come barging in if I don't."

Elena giggled. "Barge in on what?" she asked laughing.

"I don't know. Maybe on me doing this," he whispered and placed kiss on her forehead.

Elena stopped breathing when she felt his lips on her skin and lingering there for a few seconds. Unfortunately the touch ended as soon as it started. And when Elena opened her eyes she saw Damon standing by the window, winking at her.

"I'll be back," he promised and then he left.

Elena sighed. Unconsciously she grabbed her new locket and looked at it. Her fingers were on the lock, ready to open it. But then she shook her head, smiling, kissed the locket and closed her eyes again.

And her hand never let go of the locket.

* * *

Elena had fallen asleep later in the afternoon while waiting for Damon to return and woke up in the evening to find that Damon was back. He was sitting beside her on the bed, watching her. She smiled and straightened up.

"You're back."

"Yeah. I need to talk to you," he told her. "Let me in when I ring. I guess Jenna and Jeremy won't."

He disappeared leaving Elena confused. Then the doorbell rang and she understood. She quickly got up and ran downstairs where Jeremy just opened the front door.

"You again. Didn't I tell you to leave her alone?" Jeremy snarled.

"It's okay, Jer," Elena said, appearing at his side. "We talked today. It's just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? I don't think so. Alaric said–"

"He just saw me with his wife and jumped to conclusions," Damon cut him off. "Can I come in now? I'm freezing my butt off out here."

"Come on in," Elena said and pulled him inside. Jeremy was still not content with Damon's presence. "I'll talk to Alaric tomorrow. They'll sort it out," she assured her him.

He shrugged and walked back into the living room to play video games. Damon took Elena's hand and dragged her into the kitchen. There he put on the mixer first and positioned it by the window before turning to face Elena.

"She's here," he informed her.

"Katherine?"

"She must have followed us here. I could feel her presence outside. I think she has a hunch." He sighed. "I talked to Stefan about it and we agreed that I'll stay here tonight. Stefan would have rather come himself but I think it's better if Katherine doesn't know that you're close to him as well. Since you so believably pretended to be my girlfriend we should stick to it."

Elena nodded. "Why are you staying tonight?"

"Jenna hasn't returned home yet, right? But I'll feel her coming. I'm staying to make sure that Katherine doesn't compel her to let her inside."

"Jenna's wearing verveine."

"It's a bracelet, right?"

"Yeah–"

"How long do you think does it take a vampire to remove it from her?"

"Okay, you win," Elena gave in. "Did Stefan say anything else?"

"He wants you to call him," Damon said under his breath.

"I'll send him a text," Elena replied. "I'll get Jeremy to fill him in so that he won't mistake her for me."

Elena and Damon quickly brought Jeremy up to date. He was surprised to learn that there was a woman who could be his sister's twin.

"So you're a descendent from a vampire?"

"From her twin sister who was human," Elena corrected. "And now she's after me."

"But how can I tell who's you?" Jeremy asked.

"That's a good question," Elena said and looked at Damon for an answer. "Can you tell whether it's me or Katherine just by the looks?"

Damon thought about it. "Yes, I can," he finally said. "Smile."

"Huh?"

"Smile at me."

Although it seemed stupid to her Elena curled her lips into a smile.

"There," Damon said. "Katherine's smile is childish but yours is different. Shy."

"My smile is shy?" Elena repeated, raising a brow.

"Not only your smile. Your whole personality. You're a much calmer and shyer person than Katherine. I could never mistake her for you."

Elena smiled. She felt safer now. Her conscience allowed her to trust Damon again and the certainty that she could trust him made her extremely happy.

"Okay, I'm outta here," Jeremy announced and turned around to go.

"Huh?"

"I can't stand it. You two are so obvious," he told them.

"Obvious about what?" Elena inquired.

"Jeremy grinned and walked into the living room. Elena turned the mixer off and followed him with Damon to keep asking him. He wouldn't tell her though. So she turned the situation around and interrogated him about Anna, making him feel embarrassed for a change.

* * *

_So how do you like it? Damon's trick is really lame. You probably already know that it won't work out that way. After all Katherine's not stupid._

_But they finally reconciled. Wasn't it sweet? Damon a little bit OOC but who cares if we get a cute Delena moment XD_

_And as I mentioned above I'm a Janna shipper. Their little teenage romance is really cute. I hope we'll get more of it in the next two episodes although rumor has it that Anna will die ;__________;_

_Right now I'm pushing all of these depressing thoughts away and enjoy what they have right now._

_Wish me luck for my exam which I'll write in 13 hours to be exact XD_

_Love ya _

_xxx_


	28. Sometimes I Wish I Could Save You

_Okay... I know I said no chap for this weekend but I realized if I have nothing to do I only think more about the upcoming finale. So I grabbed my pen and started writing again. I'd like to spoiler you bit for the following chapters. Damon and Elena will fight again but it all will result in some really nice event. You'll know what I'm talking about when I've posted that particular chapter but I think that event won't be happening before chapter 30. But now you have something to look forward to^^_

_As to the lyrics: I know the song is about something else entirely and I respect it. The thing is I'm having difficulties to find lyrics matching the current Delena situation so please forgive me for picking the following lines._

_And enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 28:** **Sometimes I Wish I Could Save You**

_Sometimes I wish I could save you  
And there're so many things that I want you to know  
I won't give up till it's over  
If it takes you forever I want you to know

* * *

_

Damon and Elena spent the evening with Jeremy, watching him play video games or just fooling around. When boredom threatened to kill the mood Elena challenged Damon to a race in Need For Speed which resulted in Elena glorious victory and Damon's pathetic failure.

"Ha!" she exclaimed happily. "I knew I'd beat you!"

"Just because I wasn't allowed to use my perfect vampire reflexes," he reminded her grumpily.

"It only confirms what I've been telling you over and over again. 'Practice your humanity'."

"So I can beat you to a video game?" he mocked.

"Ri-iiight," she began but was interrupted by Damon who lunged at her and tickled her. Elena squeaked and tried to move away. However she hadn't much room to escape to. They were sitting on the couch next to Jeremy and when Elena tried to escape Damon's assault she bumped into her brother.

"Helloooo, I'm trying to sit here!" he snapped.

"Sorry," Elena said and moved back to her original position, closer to Damon who was smirking at her. Both of them were out of breath from fooling around.

"No, it's okay," Jeremy replied, turned off the TV and got up to turn of the PlayStation as well. "I'll go to bed. Just keep it on but don't wake the neighbors." He smirked at them and easily avoided the pillow Elena threw at him. "Night, guys."

"Night, Jer."

"Night," Damon murmured. He looked down at Elena who was snuggled up to him with her head resting on his shoulder, smiling at him. "And what are we gonna do now?" he asked her cockily.

"Nothing whatsoever you have in mind," she answered. "I'm tired."

"Then you should go to bed."

"I'm too tired to walk. Will you–"

"Carry you?" Damon finished the sentence for her. "No way. Get up, c'mon."

Reluctantly Elena got up. Damon followed her into the hallway but stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked yawning.

"Jenna comes home," he told her and in an instant he was at the door to open it.

Jenna was surprised to Damon as she didn't know Elena and him had reconciled.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked him sternly.

"We talked about it," Elena told her from the stairs. "It's just a misunderstanding. Alaric suspected Damon because he had seen him with her before but Damon didn't kill her."

"That's what he told you."

"No, it's the truth. I didn't kill her," Damon affirmed. "I'm going to talk to Saltzman first thing in the morning."

"Hmpf. I can't tell 'cause I wasn't there but listen carefully to me, young man. If you ever hurt Elena–"

"He won't!" Elena called down. "Could you drop it, please, Jenna? It's kinda embarrassing. I trust Damon. Period."

"Well, it's your decision. I'm just saying," Jenna replied, taking off her coat.

"You're not gonna regret letting me stick around your niece," Damon promised her. "I'll leave now. Good night, Jenna." He looked up to Elena who was still standing on the stairs and winked at her. "Good night, Elena."

"Good night, Damon," she said smirking.

Damon turned around and left. Elena's gaze met Jenna's and she hurried upstairs. She couldn't stand to have another conversation about Damon. She entered her bedroom and grabbed the top and shorts she always slept in. Then she walked into the bathroom which Jeremy was just leaving. He was doing the funny eye thing Damon always did at her. She smacked him playfully and entered the bathroom. Twenty minutes later Damon was lying on her bed, cuddling her teddy bear.

"You sure take long," he told her as she closed the door.

"I'm a girl," she reminded him and dropped her clothes on the chair.

"True, he said and continued tugging at the stuffed animal.

"Stop assaulting my bear," she giggled as she crawled onto the bed, snatched it from him and started cuddling it herself

"Means something to you, doesn't it?" Damon asked.

"Yes," Elena answered, leaning against the headboard. "It's a gift from my father… I mean, my adoptive father," she quickly corrected herself.

Damon who sensed her change of mood, took her hand and squeezed it. "He's your father, Elena. Not the man you don't know. You're parents are the people who raised you, not the people who gave you up."

"I haven't gone to the graveyard for a long time," Elena realized.

"Shall we go tomorrow night?" Damon offered grinning. "I love graveyards."

"As much as I do, I know. It was the first time we met, remember? You crowed at me.

"Just to make you leave. There was fog, remember? A vampire picked you to be his snack," Damon reminded her. "By the way how did you find out?"

"Oh, please, Damon. I'm not stupid," Elena said. "First I see a crow flying into your house and when I turn around you're standing in front of me. I can put two and two together."

"You're smarter than I thought," Damon teased and she smacked him. He grinned and spotted her cell phone on the bedside table. "Not that I care… but have you called your boyfriend yet?"

"Oh!" Elena exclaimed. "I totally forgot!"

She reached for the phone just when it started ringing. She glanced at the display. "Stefan." She answered his call. "Hey."

Thanks to his vampire senses Damon could listen to their totally needless conversation.

_"Hey, I asked Damon to tell you to call me. I guess he didn't deliver the message, huh?"_

"Yes, he did but I totally forgot about it. Damon keeps me preoccupied with other things."

"Be careful with your choice of words, Elena. He might stake me!" Damon said dramatically.

Elena laughed and continued talking to Stefan on the phone. "Sorry that was a little vague. He's getting on my nerves as usual. So what's up?"

_"I just wanted to know how your doing knowing the truth now."_

"I'm doing okay, I guess. I'd probably break down but you and Damon really keep me going. I love you."

"Me too?" Damon asked hopefully.

"Shut up, Damon."

_"I love you, too. Just call me when Damon gets unbearable."_

"I will," she promised over Damon's 'You never witnessed me being unbearable!' "Good night, Stefan."

_"Good night, Elena."_

Elena hung up and put her phone on the bedside table. Then she turned back to Damon who was looking at her with puppy eyes.

"What?"

"Can we do this snuggle thing that we are always doing now? I really enjoyed that last time," he said smirking.

Elena chuckled. "You're unbelievable." She snuggled up to him and rested her hand on his chest, her arm around his waist. Damon put his arm around her waist and rested his head against hers, sniffing her hair. "Good night, Damon."

"Good night, Elena."

* * *

Elena thought she must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes again Damon wasn't lying next to her anymore. She searched the room and found him at the window, staring outside, deeply lost in thoughts. Elena knew why. He was probably looking for Katherine. He was so occupied with her that he didn't even notice that Elena was awake. Elena felt a pang in her heart as she realized that. Somehow it hurt to know that Damon still loved Katherine so much after all he found out about her.

Sighing she turned back on him. That made him finally notice her. He turned around.

"You're awake. Sorry, I was just–"

"I know what you were doing. Just shut up and go," Elena cut him off, not even trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"What?"

Elena straightened up and faced him. "Are you deaf? Go to hell!"

"What did I do? Why are you suddenly so angry?" Damon demanded confused.

"Anna was right. You're such an idiot!"

Damon stared at her for a second before realization dawned on him. "Katherine? I was just–"

"You were just looking if you could find her down there on the street! I'm not dumb, Damon!"

"You're jealous again. I told you–"

"This has nothing to do with jealousy!" Elena shouted, completely forgetting that Jenna and Jeremy could hear her. "How can you be so stupid and look for her after all she's done?!"

Damon was getting angry now. First because he didn't think Elena's accusations were justified and secondly because it was none of her business.

"Why do you even care? This is none of your business!" Damon shot back. "Go back to sleep."

"Leave first."

"Why?!"

"We're all inside the house. Katherine can't harm us now. Leave, Damon, I mean it."

"Fine," Damon said. "I'll leave but don't call me and beg me to come back."

"Trust me, I won't," she spat.

Damon shot her one last glare and then he left through the open window. Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Jenna and Jeremy appeared. They looked sleepy but also irritated.

"God, what are you shouting at four in the morning?" Jeremy groaned.

"You didn't only wake us but the neighbors as well," Jenna said.

"I'm sorry," Elena replied. "Damon and I were fighting… again."

"So we noticed," Jenna said. "What was he doing here at a time like this?"

"Irritating me."

"Not only you," Jeremy mumbled and walked back into his bedroom.

"Elena, I think you know that–"

"I know, Jenna. It won't happen again," Elena interrupted her. "Just go back to sleep, okay? I'd like to be alone now."

"I will. Good night, Elena."

"Good night, Jenna."

Jenna left and closed the door after her. Elena grabbed her phone and sent Stefan a text.

_Please come over._

It took Stefan less than five minutes to come over. He entered her bedroom through the window, walked over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Elena hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What did he do now?" Stefan sighed.

"He is an idiot." Stefan let go of her and looked at her questioningly.

"He stood there at the window and searched the street for Katherine."

"Well, he's been searching for her for the last 145 years. He wouldn't stop now that she's here," Stefan said.

"But she hurt him so much," Elena insisted. "How can he still want to be with her?"

"He's in love, Elena."

"He's blinded by love," Elena corrected.

"Either way, it's non of you're business to begin with–"

"I know," Elena cut him off. "I realize I shouldn't care but I do. I don't want him to get hurt."

"I know you care about him."

"This has absolutely nothing to do with jealousy," Elena snapped. "Damon's my friend, that's why I don't want him to get hurt. And he will if he chases after Katherine again."

"But there's no use. Why are you trying to save him, Elena?" Stefan asked shaking his head.

"It's my thing, okay?" Elena replied sharply. "I care. And I don't want my friends to get hurt. And I want to save them."

Stefan sighed. "You're really too good to him. But there's nothing you can do. It's Damon's decision. And if he wants to try to get back together with Katherine he will."

"I know." Elena sighed.

"Stefan stroked her cheek gently. "You should go back to sleep. Tomorrow is another day."

"I hope you're right," Elena said and lay back down. Stefan lay down beside her and she snuggled up to him.

"Good night, Elena."

"Good night, Stefan."

* * *

Outside on the street Damon had been listening to every word of their conversation. He was happy that Elena cared so much about him but it also irritated him slightly. He didn't need her to act like his patron saint. He could take care of himself. And her concern that he might fall in love with Katherine again was completely needless. He didn't want to get back together with her. He just wanted some answers. Well, that was what his mind was telling him whereas his heart was telling him something else entirely.

He scanned the area. Katherine's presence was gone. She didn't have any reason to stay now that everyone was safe inside the house and protected by two vampires. He realized that his plan not to let Katherine know that Elena was involved with both of them backfired the moment Elena had called Stefan to comfort her. He also knew that they would pay for that. Katherine had received some important information with that she could harm all three of them.

He looked up to Elena's window. He sure needed some answers but he didn't need them tonight.


	29. In The End It Doesn't Even Matter

_I have another chapter for you. And even with the risk that you won't read it because you're all anticipating the finale in about three - six hours I uploaded it today. All I can hope is that you will read it sometime XD I focused on more people than in the previous chapters and I hope you'll like it. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 29:**** In The End It Doesn't Even Matter**

_I__'__ve put my trust in you  
Pushed as far as I can go  
And for all this_

_Wasted it all just to watch you go_

_I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart_

_What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when_

_I tried so hard_

_And got so far_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter

* * *

_

The next morning Elena woke up at seven when her alarm clock rang. With her eyes still closed she reached out for it but was beaten to it by another hand.

"Don't freak out now," a familiar voice said.

"Damon," Elena groaned. "Where's Stefan?"

"Hunting. He likes to forget that he has to feed regularly. He asked me to escort you to school instead."

"I don't need an escort."

"You sure do because if you don't get up within the next five minutes I'll have to speed you to school so you won't be late."

Elena groaned again. Reluctantly she opened her eyes and straightened up. "Then I'd better hurry because I'm still angry at you."

"I didn't expect anything else," Damon commented. "But I'm not in the mood to argue."

"Neither am I."

"Good. Then hurry up and get ready. I'll be waiting for you outside," Damon said and left.

Elena got up and quickly got ready. Afterwards she walked downstairs to have a short breakfast and to tell Jenna and Jeremy not to take off the bracelets she had given to them before she grabbed her bag and went outside where Damon was already waiting for her in his car.

"There's really no need to escort me," she told him as she put on her seatbelt.

"It's on my way," Damon replied. "I have to talk to Saltzman remember?"

"Oh, right. Can you wait till after fifth period? I need to talk to him, too."

"About what?"

"I want to ask him about my mother. I'd like to know what kind of person she was," Elena explained.

"I see." Damon nodded. "I think I can wait till then. I need you as support anyway. Saltzman won't like that we're talking again. I mean, that we talked for whole day again."

"Listen, Damon, about last night–" Elena began.

"Save your breath," he cut her off. "I never really left last night. I was down on the street and l could hear every word you were talking about me. I appreciate your concern but your boyfriend's right. Nothing you say will stop me."

His voice was harsh and cold. Elena nearly flinched.

"I know," she said.

The rest of their drive to school was silent. Elena had a feeling that Damon was actually angry at her for interfering in his affairs. At 8.15 Damon pulled into the parking lot in front of Mystic Falls Highschool.

"See you later," Elena said, unbuckled her seatbelt and wanted to get out of the car but suddenly Damon grabbed her hand and stopped her. Elena faced him and nearly startled because of the intense look she met.

"Damon…"

"Can we pretend that last night didn't happen?" he asked her. "I don't want to fight again."

"Um, sure. It's none of my business anyway," Elena answered. "And I don't want to fight again, either." She gave him a wry smile. "I hope you'll be happy soon."

With that she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Damon stared after her as she entered the building and slowly began to realize that she had bluntly lied at him. Her last statement had been completely ironic. But why was she acting like that? She had said it wasn't jealousy. So, a friend thing? Trying to not let him get involved with Katherine – a friend thing? He refused to believe because he had heard a trace of sadness beneath the irony.

* * *

Elena was pissed at Damon all morning and couldn't wait for fifth period to come to get Damon off her mind. Fifth period was her history class conveniently taught by Alaric Saltzman himself. When the lesson was over Elena took her time to collect her things. She motioned to Bonnie to go with Caroline and Matt and then the addressed Saltzman.

"Um, Alaric?" She still felt a little uneasy about calling him by his first name.

"Yes, Elena, what is it?"

"I'd like to talk to you about Isabol," Elena started but was interrupted by the door which was suddenly opened by Damon.

"Hi!"

"What do you want again?" Saltzman demanded irritated.

"I don't know if your girlfriend's niece told you yet but Elena and I are good. Jenna said I should tell you." Damon smirked and put his arm around Elena's shoulders in a we're-best-buddies way.

"It's true," Elena confirmed. "Damon told me his version of the story and I believe him. Because I found something out about my heritage." Saltzman looked at her questioningly. "Was Isabol adopted?"

Saltzman's eyes widened in surprise. "Why, yes, she was. How do you know?"

"I know because our vampire ancestor arrived in town yesterday," Elena answered.

"Vampire ancestor?"

"Isabol and I are descendants from her twin sister," Elena explained.

"Wow, that's huge," Saltzman said. "And that vampire, your–"

"Great-great-great aunt," Elena assisted.

"Yeah. Why is she here?"

"She wants me," Elena told him. "For some crazy psychopath reason," she added, noticing Damon pursing his lips when she connected the words 'crazy' and 'psychopath' with Katherine. "And after I found out about all that I thought the timing's best to find out as much as possible about my mother," she concluded.

Saltzman nodded. "We were married for 16 years. So I can tell you a thing or two but I think you should better ask her adoptive parents. They probably know more since they raised her."

Elena's face lit up. "Yes, that would help so much," she said gratefully.

"Are you free for the afternoon?" the teacher asked. "We could pay a visit to them."

"Yes, absolutely. That would be great."

Saltzman smiled. "I'll just make a quick call," he said and took out his cell phone. He dialed and called Isabol's adoptive parents. Elena was happy about the turn of events but also nervous. She was going to meet the people who had raised her mother, who could be seen as her grandparents in a distant way. Elena was so occupied with all of this that she didn't notice that Damon had removed his arm from her shoulders and that her fingers were fiddling with the locket he had given to her.

"Don't," Damon said and put his hand on hers to stop her from opening the locket. "Don't open it and don't take it off. Or the enchantment will be gone."

Elena giggled. "The enchantment? What charm did you place on it?"

"Just don't fiddle with it," Damon evaded.

"Let me guess, there's no verveine in it, right?"

Damon was glad Saltzman finished his call now so that he wouldn't have to answer that question.

"so, all set. You're ready to go?" Saltzman asked Elena.

"Yes." Damon seemed to be ready to come along, too but she stopped him. "I'd actually like to do this alone with Alaric," she told him. "Tell Stefan I'll be fine. See you later!"

Damon didn't even have a chance to nod because they were already gone. He was left alone in the classroom, not sure what to do with himself. But he thought he might as well get some answers to his questions.

* * *

"Her parents live up in North Carolina," Saltzman told Elena as they hit the highway. "It's where I met Isabol, too. In College," he added.

"What are they like?" Elena asked. "I'm a little nervous about meeting them."

"You don't need to," he said soothingly. "They're the best parents in-law I could've gotten. They are very friendly and caring."

He gave her a smile which she returned. "Thanks for doing this with me," Elena said. "It must be hard for you that I'm trying to find out so much about your lost wife."

Saltzman sighed. "It's okay," he said after a while. "It's not like she's dead as I found out recently. She's just gone. I don't know whereto and why but I'm sure she has her reasons." Elena bit her lower lip nervously. Saltzman didn't miss it. "But you know something, don't you?"

"I do…" Elena admitted hesitantly.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just… I found it out only recently, yesterday exactly, and I still haven't gotten used to it. But I guess talking about it will help so I'll tell you."

And then she began to tell him everything she knew about Katherine Pierce.

* * *

"Anybody home?" Damon asked into the air when he entered the manor and closed the door. A second later Stefan appeared in front of him. "Ah, I take that as a yes."

"Where's Elena?" Stefan demanded. "Why isn't she at school?"

"She's on an errand with the history teacher," Damon explained. "He's taking her to Isabol's adoptive parents so that she can figure out what kind of person her mother was which I might add was completely her own idea."

"That's good," Stefan said. "The farther she's away from Katherine the better."

"Speaking of her, I'm going to meet her and I suppose you're not going to stop me as you probably well know that you can't."

"I know," Stefan replied. "I have no intention of stopping you. I'm not like Elena. You have to know what's best for you. And if you think meeting Katherine is it then go ahead. I'm not going to stop you."

"Why do I feel like there's a twist?" Damon said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"There's none," Stefan assured him. "I just don't think that it will help you. You will probably either learn Katherine's true nature and attitude toward you or hopelessly fall in love with her all over again. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I do," Damon confirmed. "Thanks for caring," he added sarcastically. "I'll be fine. Give Elena my best when you call her."

And with that he turned around, opened the door and left. Stefan just shook his head in disbelief.

* * *

"What?" Saltzman exclaimed and nearly rear-ended the car in front of him. "That's some kind of a bad joke, right?"

"No, it's not," Elena replied sadly. She had just finished telling him why Katherine was in town.

"And Damon used to date that psychopath?" Saltzman asked incredulously.

"Both of them did. She had them under her spell. They couldn't resist her. She'd been compelling them."

"I see."

"But I think that Katherine is the reason that made Isabol do such a horrible thing like giving me up or leaving you. She didn't want Katherine to get me and I think she didn't want to be afraid of ever wanting to have a child with you so that she wouldn't have to go through that fear again." Saltzman was silent as he kept staring at the highway. "Alaric?" Elena said carefully.

Saltzman faced her and Elena could see tears in his eyes. She immediately felt guilty for making him sad.

"You know, Elena," he said slowly. "I think you might be right. Just before Isabol disappeared we had talked about having a child…"

Elena's heart sank. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Saltzman opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Elena's cell phone ringing. However Elena didn't made any attempt to answer the call.

"Why don't you answer it?"

"It's probably just Stefan. I can talk to him later," Elena said.

"Nonsense. Go ahead and talk to him," Saltzman replied, smiling slightly.

A smiled tucked at the corners of Elena's mouth as she took her cell phone out of her pocket and called Stefan back.

"Hey."

_"Hey. Damon just told me where you're headed."_

"Yes, Alaric was so kind as to help me find out more about Isabol." She gave Saltzman a smile.

_"I hope you'll find something out so you can figure out who she was."_

"I hope so, too," Elena replied. "Is Damon with you? I kinda left him at school."

_"No, he's gone out…"_ Stefan answered hesitantly.

"Oh…"

_"I'm sorry Elena but there's nothing we can do about it."_

"I know." She sighed. "I was just hoping he would be smarter than that."

_"Me, too. I know it won't make any difference but he wanted me to give you his best."_

"Thanks. When he gets back would you please tell him to shove it up his…"

_"I'll be gladly delivering your message, Miss Gilbert_," Stefan said chucking.

"Good."

_"So, call me when you get back, okay?"_

"I will," Elena promised. "Bye, Stefan."

_"Bye, Elena."_

Elena hung up and sighed deeply. So much for trusting Damon. It was then that she realized that he couldn't be trusted if Katherine was concerned. Such an idiot.

"Before I forget," Saltzman interrupted her thoughts. "You might as well find something out about her in her journal."

"Isabol had a journal?" Elena asked surprised.

He nodded. "It's in my bag in the backseat. Go grab it." Elena didn't need him to tell her twice. She turned around, reached for Saltzman's bag and took out a black notebook. "I didn't read in it because I didn't want to invade her privacy. I just kept it with me everywhere I went as a talisman. But I think it will totally okay if you read in it."

"Thank you," Elena said. She was very grateful for him entrusting her with Isabol's diary. It would hold much more than a visit to her parents could reveal. This notebook in her hands contained Isabol's deepest thoughts and feelings. She was sure to find something importing in it.

"You're welcome," Saltzman replied smiling.

Elena opened Isabol's journal and began reading.

* * *

Pearl had just had 'lunch'. After being released from the tomb she and Anna had left Mystic Falls and chosen a house on the outskirts of Alabama to live a quiet afterlife for once. But they had been denied that chance the moment Katherine had knocked on their door. Katherine had been the reason why they had gotten caught at all because she had to toy around with the Salvatores in front of their father's eyes.

And now she had the nerve to show up and act like nothing had happened. She had told her that she had met Damon who had told her that the tomb was open. Pearl had inwardly cursed Damon for not being able to keep his mouth shut. And now they were forced to deal with her.

Katherine obviously believed they were still best friends like back then but she couldn't be more mistaken. Their friendship had come to an end as soon as the council of Mystic Falls had started hunting them.

Fortunately, Katherine hadn't stayed long. As soon as Pearl had accidentally told her she had seen a girl who could be her twin in Mystic Falls Katherine had suddenly been in a hurry to leave. Pearl had realized she'd made a mistake. Though that girl was Gilbert she had never done anything personally to her. It hadn't been fair to expose her to Katherine. That girl's only chance was her daughter Anna who had left even before Katherine to warn her, Pearl figured.

Katherine had left only hours after Anna and that was when Pearl had decided that they had to return to Mystic Falls as well. She knew Katherine was unpredictable. If she wanted something she would stop at nothing to get it. She would even risk exposing herself and every other vampire in town. Pearl understood from Anna that without the Salvatore's help the tomb would have never been opened. She owed them for her freedom. That was why she was going to support them.

The creaking sound of the front door opening distracted Pearl. She walked into the hallway to meet her daughter.

"Where have you been?" she inquired.

"I warned them," Anna answered.

Pearl nodded. "Pack your things. We're going to return to Mystic Falls, too."

Anna nodded and walked toward her bedroom to start packing.

* * *

Jeremy was home doing his homework when his phone went off. He glanced at the display to see that he had received a text message from Anna. Smiling he opened it.

_We're gonna return to Mystic Falls__ ;)_

Jeremy's smile widened and he hit reply.

_Great. Can't wait 3_

Jeremy got up and walked downstairs into the kitchen to grab something to drink. There he met Jenna who was doing the dishes.

"Elena not home yet?" he asked casually as he opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

"She'll return late tonight. She's on an errand with Alaric," Jenna answered.

"What errand?"

"They are paying a visit to Elena's grandparents," Jenna told him.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot that she isn't a Gilbert," Jeremy said, taking a sip of water.

"Don't say that," Jenna scolded him. "Adopted or not she's still a Gilbert. She's been your sister all your life. The new information doesn't change anything about it. You're still close, aren't you?"

"Right," Jeremy said, smiling slightly.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Can you get that, please?" Jenna asked.

"Sure," Jeremy said and walked to the front door. He opened it and was surprised to see another Gilbert. "Uncle John."

"Hey, Jer," John Gilbert greeted him.

"Don't tell me I actually recognized the voice of that–" Jenna's voice trailed off when she spotted John. "Oh no," she groaned, turned around and went back into the kitchen.

"And hello to you, too, Jenna," John called after her.

Jeremy grinned, let him enter and closed the front door. Then he followed John into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Jenna demanded. "Everytime you pay a visit we all end up irritated."

"Ouch. Do I really need a reason to visit my nephew, my niece and my…"

"Ex," Jenna finished the sentence for him. "You could've called."

"Oh, I prefer sudden drop-by's," John replied smirking. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Jenna snapped and continued doing the dishes.

"I'll just let you guys fight. Gotta finish my homework anyway," Jeremy said, grabbed the bottle of water and left the kitchen. As he ascended the stairs he could hear Jenna snapping remarks to John and grinned. Then he was distracted because his phone went off again. Another text message from Anna.

_Miss me already?_

Jeremy grinned and hit reply.

* * *

_Phew, I was really going nuts with all the time shifts but I think I managed to do it just fine. _

_So, Katherine's in town, John's in town, Pearl and Anna are going to come as well, it offers so much stuff to write about! And because of that I think I will have to postpone 'the event' I'm sorry for all Delena fans. I said it would come sooner before I decided to let John come to Mystic Falls. I'm having some timing difficulties now^^° So don't hate me for it. You will savor it in one of the following chapter but right now I can't tell you when exactly._

_Well, have much fun watching the finale. I will have to wait till tomorrow afternoon. Sometimes I wish I'd live in the USA._

_Love ya xxx_


	30. I Can't Let You Go

_Here you go, another chapter from me. Take your time to read it because I won't be able to update until Monday in a week because a friend is staying over. As always I hope you like it!_

* * *

**Chapter 30:**** I Can't Let You Go**

"We're there," Saltzman announced and turned off the engine. "Did you find anything interesting in it yet?" he added, pointing at Isabol's journal.

"Not yet," Elena answered. "She started writing in it early but she didn't write in it everyday. I'm not sure if I should skip a few pages or not. The curious side of me wants to but I don't want to disrespect her feelings."

"I don't think it will disrespect her feelings if you skip to the part that will give you answers," he said softly. Elena nodded, smiling slightly. "Well, come on, Momma Flemming is already waiting for us."

They unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car.

* * *

Damon didn't understand what the hell he was doing. He had gone out to meet Katherine and but instead he had ended up in Mystic Falls Grill with a bottle of bourbon. Well, first because if Katherine didn't want to she wouldn't show up she wouldn't anyway and secondly he couldn't get Elena out of his head. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to meet Katherine, knowing that it would piss off or even make Elena sad.

But he wanted answers, goddammit!

Another glass of bourbon it was then.

* * *

They rang the bell and it didn't take long until someone opened the door for them. A woman it was, around the mid-fifties, Elena guessed. When she saw them a wide smile spread across her face.

"Ah, there you are. Come in," she said, stepped aside to let them enter and closed the door after them. "Good to see you, Alaric," she said and hugged Saltzman.

"Good to see you to, Mary," he replied and hugged her back.

After a few seconds they let go of each other and Mrs Flemming turned to Elena who suddenly wished for the ground to give away.

"And who are you, dear?" Mrs Flemming asked friendly.

"I'm – I'm Elena Gilbert," Elena answered and shook the hand she was offering her.

"Nice to meet you, Elena. I'm Marianne," Mrs Flemming introduced herself. "But everyone calls me Mary."

"Nice to meet you, Mary," Elena replied, smiling slightly.

"Elena is basically the reason we're here," Saltzman told Mrs Flemming. "She has a few questions about Isabol."

"Sure. Why don't you make yourself at home in the living room. Frank's waiting in there. I just make you something to eat," Mary said and went into a room which was probably the kitchen.

Elena met Saltzman's gaze who was grinning. "Told you she was kind."

"Yeah."

Elena followed him into the living room where he was welcomed by Mary's husband Frank. She waited patiently until they were done with the greeting.

"You brought a friend," Mr Flemming observed and offered Elena his hand. "What's your name, dear?"

"It's Elena."

"Welcome, Elena," Mr Flemming greeted her. "I'm Frank. Friends of Alaric are our friends as well."

"Actually she's more than that but let's wait for Mary," Saltzman said, took a seat and motioned to Elena to do the same. A minute later Mary entered, holding a tray with tea and cookies. Elena blushed. She couldn't take so much hospitality. Mary served everyone and Elena grabbed a cookie and took a sip of the tea she made to not hurt her feelings.

"So, tell us then," Mary said, taking seat.

"Well," Saltzman began. "Elena is none other than Isabol's daughter."

The Flemmings' eyes widened as they took this new information in. They stared at Elena who blushed furiously and wished for the ground to give away once more.

* * *

Stefan spent the afternoon reading a book and waiting for Damon to return. He was quite curious about the outcome of his talk with Katherine. He was curious to find out whether she was still playing him like back then or whether she had actually changed. Damon had already seen her before in this century but still refused to talk about their encounter. So Stefan concluded that Katherine was still the same.

Lost in thoughts he turned a page when suddenly the doorbell rang. His brows furrowed. He wasn't expecting anyone and he wasn't in the mood for visitors. He decided to ignore the person and resumed reading. He successfully did it the second and third time the doorbell rang but after the fourth time he gave it up.

He closed his book, got up and walked to the front door. He opened it to find someone who looked creepily like Elena but he could tell from three things that the person in front of him wasn't Elena. First, the woman didn't wear the locket which as he knew Damon had given to Elena. Secondly, the woman didn't have a heartbeat and thirdly she smiled at him in a childish way that differed so strongly from Elena's shy smile.

"Katherine..."

* * *

"Really? You're Isabol's daughter?" Mary inquired.

"I found out only recently," Elena told her.

"Apparently Isabol had her before she met me," Saltzman informed the Flemmings. "Was quite a bombshell."

"I guess so," Mary said. "How old are you, Elena?"

"Turned 18 a while ago."

Mary exchanged a look with her husband who nodded.

"When Isabol was sixteen she suddenly ran away," Frank recalled. "We never found out why but I guess you were the reason then."

"Isabol gave me up for adoption," Elena explained. "I never met her."

"Back then we didn't see Isabol for a long time before she finally returned with you. We were so happy," Mary said to Saltzman. "And then two years ago we lost her again."

Mary had started to cry. Frank pulled her close to him. Elena bit her lip. This was so awkward. She would rather leave then stay any longer.

"Please don't cry, Mary," Saltzman said. "I did some research and apparently Isabol isn't dead."

Mary stopped sobbing at once. She and Frank stared at him. "What? But you said she was murdered!"

"I was mistaken," Saltzman corrected. "I suspected someone I had seen with her earlier but it turned out he didn't kill her."

Elena exchanged a glance with him. Did that mean he believed Damon now?

"But why did she leave then? And why would she want us to believe that she is dead?" Mary demanded.

Saltzman looked at Elena how met his gaze with a determined one of her own.

"I have to ask them," she said before turning to the Flemmings. "Do you know a person called Katherine Pierce?"

* * *

"Katherine, what are you doing here?" Stefan inquired.

"Why, can't I just visit some old friends? You are very rude, Stefan," Katherine scolded him. "Talking to me like that."

"Why wouldn't I? You're the reason I became a vampire," Stefan reminded her.

"Isn't it great?" Katherine said, completely ignoring his accusing tone. "So this is your new home now, huh? Let's take a look inside then," she added, stepping past Stefan into the house. Stefan simply stared at her, unable to stop her.

He quickly closed the door and followed her into the parlor. Katherine strolled across it and took a look around. While doing that she spotted her necklace on the coffee table and went to grab it.

"Oh, you kept it all these years," she said, pretending to be flattered. She grabbed the necklace and let go of it instantly. "Verveine?" Her voice sounded angry now. "Why would you insult me like that and put verveine into it?"

"Maybe for my pleasure? I couldn't have my revenge on you personally so I took it out on your necklace," Stefan answered.

Katherine's expression changed from angry to friendly in the blink of an eye. Stefan knew that it was one of the traits that made her so dangerous. You never knew what was actually going through her mind.

"You're lying at me, Stefan," she said, now sounding hurt but he knew she faked it. "I know you gave it to that other girl who looks like me."

"What girl?" Stefan tried but knew it was no use.

"You can't fool me, Stefan and neither can Damon. I've seen her without that stupid wig she tried to hide her true identity with. I know she looks exactly like me which is no surprise since she is family."

Stefan swallowed hard. He wanted to protect Elena but it was so difficult. Katherine was always one step ahead.

"Is Damon here?" Katherine asked now, almost bored.

"No, actually he went out looking for you," Stefan told her.

"Oh, really? I must have missed him then. So where can I find him? Where does he usually go?"

"Try The Grill. He's probably there."

"Great." Katherine smiled. "So I guess I'll see you around, Stefan."

Stefan walked her to the door as a matter of politeness and tried to keep composure when she gave him her sweetest smile. When she was outside he quickly shut the door and leaned against it. Though he truly despised her for what she had done to him and Damon he couldn't deny the fact that the part of his human soul left in him was still attracted to her. He still had feelings for her due to the unbreakable curse she had placed on him and Damon.

* * *

Mary and Frank exchanged a look.

"We've heard her name before," Frank remembered. "When we met Isabol's birth mother. She practically delivered her daughter on our threshold. She seemed to be on the run from someone."

"She was very upset. First we thought it was because of the delivery but then she kept repeating the same sentence over and over again," Mary continued. "'Don't let Katherine get her! She mustn't get her.'"

"Later we found out Isabol's mother was killed by a maniac. He ripped her heart out," Frank concluded.

Elena's eyes widened and her gaze met Saltzman's who wasn't less shocked.

"That was Katherine. She killed my grandmother," she whispered.

"Who is this Katherine person?" Frank inquired. "You're grandmother seemed to be very afraid of her."

"So was Isabol," Saltzman said. He looked at Elena for permission to tell them. She nodded. She let him do it because a lump in her throat made it impossible for her to speak.

Saltzman told the Flemmings about Katherine's goal but never did he mention that she was vampire to not make it any awkward than it already was.

"We believe Katherine found Isabol and tried to steal Elena from her. That's why Isabol ran away. She delivered her baby somewhere she thought she would be safe from Katherine."

"I see," Frank said.

"And why is she gone now?" Mary asked.

"That we don't know yet," Saltzman lied.

"But what if that Katherine is after her like she was after her mother? What if she finds her and kills her like her mother?"

"Mary, calm down," Frank said softly and pulled his wife into an embrace.

"She isn't after Isabol anymore," Elena said quietly. "Now she's after me."

* * *

Damon hardly cared about the face that he spent most of his money on designer clothes and alcohol. Much, much alcohol. Tonight he would have to pay another high bill. He couldn't care less and motioned to the bartender to serve him with another bottle of bourbon.

"Don't you think you've had enough for tonight, man?" he said.

"Do you want to see my ID?" Damon barked. "Hurry up and pour me another one."

The bartender raised his hands in defeat and served him with another drink. Damon raised it to his mouth and knocked it back.

"Hello, Damon."

Damon choked on his drink and spat half of it on the counter.

"Hey!" the bartender shouted annoyed.

Damon ignored him and turned around to the woman on the seat next to him.

"Katherine…"

"Drowning your sorrows in alcohol?" She smirked.

"I don't have any sorrows," Damon clarified and poured himself another glass. "I just enjoy the flavor that's all." He glanced at her. "What are you doing here, Katherine? Doesn't your congressman miss you already?"

"He thinks I'm on vacation and I am in a way. I'm visiting my old friends."

"Cut the crap, Katherine," Damon snapped, knocked back his drink and slammed a few bucks on the counter. Then he left the Grill without giving Katherine another look.

She followed him onto the street though.

"Stefan said you were looking for me," her voice reached his ears.

He turned around, trying to keep composure. "He did? Well, I was. For the last 145 years. Nice of you to drop by now," he added icily before leaving with vampire speed.

Katherine watched him, smiling in superiority.

* * *

"Can't anybody stop her?" Mary asked, still sobbing. "Someone's got to stop her."

"We're trying," Saltzman replied. "But right now all we can do is protect Elena and hide her from Katherine."

"So Isabol's hiding from her as well. That's what you think, right?" Frank asked.

"Right."

"So if someone catches Katherine and locks her away Isabol will come back, right?" Mary asked.

"Probably."

Mary nodded. "Then I hope someone will send Katherine to hell soon."

Elena was silent. She knew that things weren't as easy as that. If she could she would send Katherine straight to hell right now but there were also Damon and his feelings to take into consideration. It wouldn't be fair to kill her before Damon had really gotten over her. And that seemed very unlikely at present considering that he was meeting her that moment.

"But we didn't really come here to tell you all of this. We came because Elena wanted to get to know her mother and I figured you could tell her more than I can because you raised her," Saltzman said.

Mary dried her tears with a handkerchief and managed to smile slightly. "Of course. Come on, Elena. I'll show you what Isabol's world used to revolve around."

She got up and offered Elena her hand. Elena smiled, let Mary pull her to her feet and followed her upstairs.

* * *

Damon slammed the front door shut hard. He made his way to the minibar without once looking at Stefan who was reading in the parlor.

"So…" Stefan said. "I guess you met her then?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Damon barked, grabbed the bottle of bourbon and left the parlor using vampire speed.

"Guessed so," Stefan said and turned a page.

* * *

So it wasn't that bad, was it?" Saltzman said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"No," Elena admitted. "You are right. They are very kind people."

"They are practically your grandparents on your mother's side since your real grandmother passed away," he reminded her.

"I know." She really liked the Flemmings and she could tell that they were happy about having a granddaughter. She would definitely come back and visit them. "They really miss her…"

"Me, too."

"Do you think you will ever see her again?" Elena asked.

"From what you told me, Elena it seems only plausible to me that she will come back once Katherine is dead," he answered. "But honestly, I have no idea what she's like now as a vampire. What she thinks and what she feels. But I know something. Vampire or not, I want my wife back."

At the end of the sentence Saltzman's voice was shaking. Elena realized that he was missing Isabol just as much as the Flemmings. However she couldn't feel what they felt because she never got to know Isabol and she didn't lose a person not knowing what happened to her. All her losses would remain losses and never come back.

"I'll do everything I can to stop Katherine," Elena promised firmly. "I want revenge for my ancestors."

"No!" Saltzman protested. "Don't put yourself in danger, Elena. It's not worth it. Isabol wouldn't want you to and neither do I." Elena was silent. "Elena, please," he begged. He looked at her with deep concern in his eyes. Elena understood that he cared about her.

"I promise I won't," she said slowly, knowing she would have to break this promise in the future.

"Good." Saltzman sounded relieved. "So did you find anything out about Isabol's youth?"

Elena gladly accepted the change of subject. "Yes. Mary told me a lot. She was cheerleader just like I used to be one and…"

And she told him all the things she found out about her mother which Saltzman probably all knew himself but he let her tell him anyway.

* * *

Stefan was standing in front of Damon's bedroom, indecisive about whether he should do this right now. Damon however decided it for him.

"I know you're standing there. Come in already," Damon's voice came from inside.

Stefan sighed and entered. Damon was lying in his bed, obviously drunk. The bottle of bourbon stood on the floor next to his bed.

"You're drinking much more than you usually do," Stefan observed. "That means you're upset. Can I have some?"

Damon chuckled. "No way, little brother. You only drink if you're on human blood and since that will never happen again let's keep it the same way with alcohol." Stefan smiled. "So what is it, Stefan?"

"You met her, didn't you?" Stefan inquired. "And you talked to her."

"Yeah, I did. Why?"

"How did you feel seeing and talking to her again?" Stefan kept asking.

"I don't know," Damon evaded. "I was pissed off at her."

"Didn't you feel anything?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Damon demanded irritated.

"She was here," Stefan told him. "Katherine. Apparently she wanted to pay a visit to us."

"Yeah, so what?"

"It felt strange to be with her in the same room. Like it was 1864 all over again. Everything came rushing back to me…"

"Wait, whoa," Damon said and quickly straightened up. "Are you falling for her again?"

"Aren't you?" Stefan asked ashamed.

Damon hesitated for a moment. Then he quietly said "Yes, me too."

* * *

_When I first met you got a feeling that I'll never forget_

_An animal attraction I know_

_No one ever gets me like this_

_I learned a lesson it's a losing battle a war I can't win_

_Every time that I hate you_

_I love you_

_You're more than I can take can't get enough of you_

_It doesn't matter what you're saying_

_I can't let you go_

_Every time that I hate you_

_I love you_

_You're the part of the pain that I love too_

_It doesn't matter what you're saying

* * *

_

_Katherine bitchy as usual. I'm still not over the fact that it was her Damon kissed in the final and not Elena ;___;_

_Anyway, thank you for: 260 reviews, 43601 hits, 1 mention in a community 99 favorites and 128 alerts! I am so happy! And because I am I dedicated my recent video to all of my readers. You'll find the link in my profil. Check it out!_

_Love you so much!_


	31. What Have You Done! Pt 2

_It's been too long! I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for two weeks. That's not my style. But I just couldn't figure out how to start this chapter. It drove me nuts. Then three days ago my muse finally found her way back to me. _

_When asked what we may expect for Season 2 the producers said Stefan would be more affected by Katherine's return than Damon. So I picked that up. Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 31:**** What Have You Done Pt. 2**

_I__'ve been waiting for someone like you_

_But now you are slipping away_

_What have you done now?_

_Why does Fate make us suffer?_

_There's a curse between us_

_Between me and you

* * *

_

When Elena went to school the next morning the first person she came across was Stefan.

"Morning," she greeted him. "I'm sorry I didn't call last night. I was so tired. You didn't worry though did you?"

"No, it's alright. You were with Alaric so I knew you were fine," Stefan answered smiling.

"Exactly," Elena agreed, opening her locker to take some book out.

"Did you find anything out?"

"Yes, a lot." Elena nodded vividly. "Katherine downright persecuted my whole family from her twin sister to Isabol, always trying to steal their child and if she didn't get what she wanted she got so enraged that she killed them. It very much fits together with my theory that Katherine is the reason my mother wanted to become a vampire." Stefan nodded. "Speaking of the devil, did Damon meet her last night?"

"I don't know," Stefan evaded. "We didn't talk about it. But why don't you ask him?"

"Yeah, why don't you ask me?" Damon appeared behind Elena and put his hands on her shoulder, leaning in. "Go ahead, I'm all ears."

Elena turned around to ask him but she got distracted by the huge Ray-Bans he was wearing.

"Helloo, low profile, remember?" she hissed.

"Elena," Damon said patiently like he was explaining something to a six-year-old. "You should pay some more attention to your environment. I'm not the only guy with style here."

Just in that moment two boys wearing super sized sunglasses walked past them. Not even the glasses could compensate for their sloppy appearance. "Okay, maybe I am," Damon corrected. Elena giggled. "So, what is it, Elena?"

"Elena was just going to tell us what she found out last night," Stefan said before Elena could open her mouth. She stared at him in slight confusion.

"Right…" she agreed slowly and decided to play along though she was wondering why Stefan had left the 'Did-Damon-get-back-together-with-Katherine?' subject.

"Now that you're here I don't need to tell the story twice." Stefan nodded, smiling solemnly and silently thanking her for playing along. "Isabol had a journal. Alaric gave it to me. I'm sure I'll find something in it that confirms my theory," she told them and closed the locker.

"Probably," Stefan agreed when the bell rang. "Oh, I gotta go. See you later, Elena."

"You're not going to class?" she asked.

"No, we agreed to take turns patrolling the town to find out what Katherine is up to," he explained.

"Oh, right," Damon chimed in sarcastically. "How could I forget?"

Stefan ignored him and left. Elena who had sensed the tension between the two brothers turned to Damon.

"He's behaving strangely."

"That's an understatement," Damon replied.

"Did something happen? 'Cause I can see that there's tension between you."

"Everything's fine, Elena. Just go to class."

"Okay, I guess I see you later."

"Definitely. Have a nice day, honey," Damon said and walked away.

"Stop calling me that!" she hissed, knowing from the sound of his laughter that he had heard her.

Elena turned around to go to class but stopped when she saw Bonnie standing a few feet away from her. She was staring at her in disbelief and anger, obviously pissed off at something. Elena wondered at what but realized that she would have to wait till lunch break to find out.

* * *

Damon hurriedly left high school campus, following Stefan. He knew that Stefan didn't want him to but he was the better hunter of them. To his mind he even was the better vampire of them. He easily picked up Stefan's trace and found him casually walking down Main Street. Damon lunged at him and pinned him to the wall of one of the houses.

"What do you think you're doing?" he spat.

"Nothing," Stefan answered innocently.

"Don't give me that crap!" Damon snapped. "What would Elena say if she knew what you're up to?"

"What about you?" Stefan challenged.

"Elena and I are only friends. That means I can do whatever I want. But you… don't you realize what you're doing?"

"I'm not up to anything," Stefan clarified calmly. "It's like I said. Don't you think we should keep an eye on her?"

"Yes but… Don't change the subject!" Damon replied angrily. "You were always the one to condemn her. So what's with this new attitude, huh? Why are you desperately trying to meet her?" Stefan was silent, staring at his feet and Damon realized. "It's her blood, isn't it? She's calling out to you," he whispered. "I can shut it off because I fell in love with her by choice but you… She compelled you to love her… and you died with those feelings… And now that she's back you have no choice… You're so pathetic, little brother. So pathetic!"

Damon let go of him and turned around to leave.

"And what about you, Damon?" Stefan demanded. "Don't pretend like you can ignore her!"

"Watch me," Damon said. "Right now I have no intention to meet Katherine. But please go ahead and make a fool out of yourself."

"Where are you going?"

"I have some business to attend to," Damon answered airily and left.

Stefan regained composure and looked around, only to see the woman he had been looking for, slowly and smiling walking toward him.

* * *

Damon knew that Katherine was not feeding from the blood bank but preferred her blood directly from the source. He also knew that Katherine didn't care about keeping a low profile so he went straight to Sheriff Forbes' office to ask her about any recent missing people or killings.

When he arrived at the police station he was surprised to find it closed for citizens. A guard was standing outside, watching the area.

"Watchers Council?" he asked when he caught Damon's surprised expression.

"Yeah."

"Follow me, please," the guard said and led him inside where the Watchers Council was having a meeting.

"Ah, good, Damon, you're here," the sheriff said when she saw him. "I would've called you but this went rather quick," she explained.

"What's the rush?" Damon inquired.

"More missing people and a not insignificant amount of blood reported missing by the blood bank."

"Someone robbed the blood bank?"

"Right. Just wait, John has all the details," Forbes replied.

"John?"

Suddenly Mayor Lockwood asked for silence and the conversations stopped.

"Well, the reason we gathered here is that we recorded new incidents. John will fill you in on the details."

"Thanks," John Gilbert said and turned toward the audience.

"Who is this John?" Damon hissed.

"John Gilbert," Forbes whispered. "He's the head of the Watchers Council."

Damon's eyes widened. "Gilbert? As in–"

"As in Elena's uncle, yes." Forbes nodded.

Damon turned his head to the one spoken of who had just started talking.

"I understand from Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Lockwood that our town has been constantly facing so-called animal attacks and many dead bodies for over a year now." God, he's exaggerating," Damon thought. "For a while now the local blood banks also have reported altered records and missing amount of 10 liters of blood." Everyone was holding their breath as they listened to the news. "In addition at least five people have gone missing and haven't returned yet." John took a deep breath. "Let's not beat about the bush. We have vampires in town." A few people inhaled sharply while Damon was watching John closely. "It's not news to us but the increasing number of incidents cannot be ignored any longer. We have to take action now." Many people nodded affirmatively. "I also understand from Sheriff Forbes that we received verveine by an anonymous donor and that everyone in charge was supplied with it." The sheriff nodded. "Good. So I suggest we post guard at the local blood banks. As they have verveine the vampires can't compel them. I don't expect them to come tonight but sooner or later they'll have to feed. Sheriff, you and some others will do your usual patrol at night." Forbes nodded. "Good, I guess, that's everything we can do right now."

"Thanks, John," Mayer Lockwood said and dismissed them.

"Hey," someone said and patted Damon on the shoulder. Damon turned around to see Saltzman. "You here?"

"I'm a member and you?"

"Have been for while," Saltzman chuckled.

"Here he is," Sheriff Forbes called on Damon's attention. Damon turned back to her and John Gilbert. "He's our anonymous donor," Forbes told John. "Damon Salvatore."

John's eyes widened in surprise. "Salvatore, you say?" He held his hand out to Damon. "Nice to me you… may I say Damon?" Reluctantly Damon shook his hand and stared into his eyes. "I want to thank you for your services on behalf of the entire council."

"No problem," Damon replied.

"So," John said. "Salvatore, huh? So you probably heard all the intriguing stories of the past."

"They were passed down the generations," Damon lied.

"Well, I gotta go. The deputies are waiting for me," Sheriff Forbes announced.

"Me, too," Saltzman said. "I've got a class to teach."

Both of them left. The others had already done so minutes ago. Now only John and Damon were left.

John nodded. "Same with my family. The Gilberts were of course the first to hunt vampires effectively." Damon pursed his lips, waiting for whatever John was driving at. "I believe it all began with a woman. What was her name again? Ah, yes, Katherine Pierce."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Yes, that would be her," he agreed through gritted teeth.

"Let's get this straight," John said now. "I know what you are, Damon. I know the whole story from 1864 till today. I know about Katherine, the tomb vampires, everything. I don't the part why the supplied us with verveine but you can't fool me."

"Who told you?" Damon demanded.

"It doesn't matter. I have my sources," John answered. "All you need to know is that I won't keep this to myself. We can't allow a vampire to spy on the council. I'm going to tell them who and what you are."

"I'm afraid you won't live to that," Damon replied. Using vampire speed he lunged at John and snapped his neck. He acted so quickly that John had no time to react. His limb body fell to the floor. Damon rubbed his hands like they were covered in dirt.

"Consider this a warning," he told dead John Gilbert. "No one's messing with me. No one…"

With that he left the room.

* * *

Just when lunch break had started and they had left the classroom Elena addressed Bonnie ho had been ignoring her all morning.

"Bonnie, is something wrong?"

Bonnie turned to her and gave her a disbelieving look. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, what–"

"Damon?" Bonnie came straight to the point. "I thought you were done with him!"

"I was but then I heard him out and he told me he didn't kill her."

"And you believed him." Bonnie scoffed.

"Yes, I did. Is that what's been bothering you? Damon?" Elena asked.

"You know, Elena. After Grams died I was beside myself. I blamed Damon for her death and I still do. But I held back when I saw how happy you were around him. But this I can't take. He's deceiving you and you just let him."

"Bonnie, I _trust_ Damon," Elena pointed out.

"See, there's the problem, Elena. Actually I didn't intend to make you choose but you leave me no choice."

"What are you talking about, Bonnie?" Elena inquired, still confused.

"It's either me or Damon," Bonnie declared.

And then she turned on her heels and left. Elena stared after her, slowly taking in that she had probably just lost her best friend.

* * *

During lunch break Jeremy went outside to buy something to eat at the kiosk. He was listening to music on his iPod so he didn't hear a voice calling his name. He only realized it when that person tapped on his shoulder, making him turn around. It was Anna.

"Hey," he greeted her smiling and took out his ear plugs.

"Surprise."

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Doing the paperwork," Anna answered. "My mom's just talking to your aunt because she wants to open up a little store and I just had a talk with the school counselor. Starting tomorrow I'm an official student here."

"Why would you want to go to high school? It's boring," he said.

Anna gave him a look. "Do I really need to answer that question?"

"So you would go back to high school just to be with me?" Jeremy asked, raising his brows.

"Yeah, I would."

"Um, that's," Jeremy began.

"Stupid?" She finished the sentence for him. "Pathetic? Old, lurky me?"

Jeremy shook his head. "Awesome." Anna smiled. "You're awesome."

He leaned in to her and she met him halfway. They kissed for a few seconds then they pulled apart. "Let me guess," Jeremy said. "Each and every one of my classes?"

"Mmm." They smiled and kissed again.

* * *

With nowhere else to go Damon was heading straight back to Mystic Falls Highschool. However he didn't have a convincing pretext. He couldn't go to Elena and say "Hey, honey, I just killed your uncle…" No, definitely not. Many students walked past him. He knew it was lunch hour so he went straight into lunch hall. He scanned it, looking for Elena and found her, sitting at a table all by herself. Damon immediately knew that something was wrong. His gaze wandered off to another table where Elena's friends Bonnie, Caroline and Matt were sitting together. Looking back at Elena he caught her glancing longingly at them. Damon sighed and walked over to her.

"Hey, honey, what's up?" he greeted her, taking a seat opposite her. "Did dear brother's brooding rub off on you?"

"I'm not the mood for jokes, Damon," Elena told him curtly.

"So much I noticed. What's wrong?"

"Bonnie's no longer my friend."

"Why that?"

"Because of you," Elena stated simply and went into detail when he didn't seem to understand. "She saw talking earlier. I hadn't told her about our reconciliation yet and apparently she thinks we shouldn't be friends. She doesn't understand that I trust and after what you did to my mother I shouldn't be your friend anymore, let alone trust you."

"I see…"

"She obviously still hasn't gotten over Sheila's death and now she wants me to choose between you and her," Elena concluded.

"Sound like an easy choice to me," Damon said, feigning a smirk.

Elena looked sadly at him, making his smirk disappear. "Not to me, it doesn't. I don't want to choose. Both of you are my friend. Though she has a point about the trusting you…"

"What are you talking about?" Damon demanded irritated. "Just now you said you trusted me."

"You can't be trusted as soon as it comes to Katherine," Elena replied sharply. "Stefan told me you didn't see her or went looking for her but I'm not stupid, you know?"

"I refuse talking to you about it when right it's your perfect boyfriend who's doing the exact thing you're accusing me of!" Damon blurted out.

Elena turned pale. "What…?"

"See? Now you made me tell you though you weren't supposed to know," Damon said.

Elena stared at him. "What?"

"Stefan's looking for Katherine on purpose," he told her. "Not to find out what she's up to but for his own reasons."

"You're lying!" Elena shouted. Stefan cheating on her? This couldn't be true.

"I'm sorry, Elena but I'm not," Damon said tonelessly. Elena was speechless. "And now I'm the bad guy again because I told you. If it's any comfort to you I didn't see it coming either."

"But why?" Elena inquired weakly.

"He can't fight it," Damon explained sadly. "He died with her blood in his system and her compulsion and his feelings for her. Her blood his calling on him to go to her."

"I can't believe that this is actually happening," Elena said.

Damon reached out and squeezed her hand in a soothing gesture. He was well aware that Bonnie was watching them but he didn't care. He met Elena's sad eyes which were slowly beginning to water.

"Let's get out of here," he suggested.

"What?"

"Let's go and find Stefan. Play an act, make him jealous."

"You think it'll work?"

"It'll definitely make him snap out of it for a moment," Damon replied convinced.

"Okay."

They got up and left the hall.

"Besides," Damon added with a big smirk on his face. "I get all the fun out of it."

"No, you won't," Elena contradicted. "It takes two."

"I already got one and a half since I know your dirty side is attracted to me," Damon replied, cocking his brows.

Elena burst out into laughter. "My _dirty_ side?"

"Oh yes." Damon nodded. "I'm so looking forward to it."

"Dream on," Elena said, shaking her head but she couldn't stop the blush from creeping on her cheeks.

Suddenly Damon put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Elena demanded.

"I have to practice," he answered. "It has to be convincing, right?"

"You don't need practice. You're a natural talent," Elena opined.

"Anyway, I'm quite comfortable like this."

"Well, I'm not," Elena stated.

"Sorry, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. That's not my intention." There it was again: his trademark smirk.

"Yes, it is." Their gazes met and they grinned. They had had this argument before.

"Ah, good old times," Damon relished in memories.

"You were a jerk and psychopath and an ass," Elena enumerated.

"So?"

"_So?_"

"Don't tell me you didn't like it 'cause I know you did."

"Watching you acting out? Sorry, but that's not my style."

"Not that part." Damon shook his head. "But you like my casual side, my unpredictability. Come on, admit it, I'm irresistible."

"Will you end this needless conversation if I do?" Elena inquired.

"Maybe…"

"Okay, you're somewhat irresistible."

"Nah, again, like you mean it," Damon pouted.

Elena laughed at his face and put as much emotion into her voice as she could.

"You're irresistible, Damon…"

His face lit up. "I knew it. Ah, that sounds like music to my ears. Again."

"No, you got your daily ego boost," Elena declined.

They reached the boarding house. Damon looked at Elena. "They're here. You ready?" Elena nodded. "Then let's get the party started," Damon said joyfully and opened the door. He entered and pulled Elena inside. The door fell closed by itself. Damon grabbed Elena and twirled her around, making her squeal.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you I'd have my fun," Damon said, pulled her close and nuzzled his nose into her delicate neck.

"Damon, no! Stop! It tickles!" Elena giggled.

"Chrm, chrm."

The sound of someone clearing his throat loudly made them direct their attention to the first landing of the stairs. Elena gasped. Stefan and Katherine were standing there. Both of them in underwear. Elena stared at them. Damon had told her what she would have to expect but she hadn't really believed it. But now she knew it was true.

* * *

P. S. I made another Video. It's called Stefan/Elena/Damon - The Lover After Me and you can find it in my youtube channel Asuchan91. If it's blocked for you, you can take the link to another video database in my profile.

P. S. S. My PC is acting out. Sometimes it doesn't recognize my internet stick and yesterday i smelled something burnt... *angst* The last thing I need now is a PC that doesn't work... So I can't say when I'll post the next chapter. I'm sorry... You better wish all of us luck.


	32. Should Have When You Could Have

_Hey, it's me. Yes, I'm still alive and as you can see my computer is working for a change. So I didn't hesitate and typed this (long) chapter. I think there's something for everyone in it. Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 32:**** Should Have When You Could Have**

Stefan stared horrified at Elena who was still in Damon's arms.

"What's going on?" he snarled.

"Are you kidding me?" Elena shot back. "You're cheating on me with my vampire doppelganger and you ask me _what's going on_?"

There was no way to deny it. Both Stefan and Katherine had reduced their clothing to underwear. It was obvious what they had been about to do.

"Elena, I can explain," Stefan began but Elena cut him off.

"No need. I think I've got it," she snapped.

Amused by their fight Katherine started to giggle. Indignant Elena opened her mouth but a nudge by Damon stopped her.

"So you're Elena," Katherine said, watching her doppelganger closely. "You look so much like me without your stupid wig. How creepy." She averted her gaze from Elena, looked at Stefan and then back at Elena. "I guess there are things to talk about. I gotta go anyway. I've things to do," she announced. Using vampire speed she disappeared to get dressed and returned. She walked past Stefan, Elena and Damon to the door. Passing Damon she whispered "See you later, Damon." Then she left. The door fell close and silence spread between them. Elena was furious. Damon stared at his brother in disbelief and Stefan was giving Elena a look full of remorse.

"Please, Elena, let's talk," he begged.

"There's nothing to talk about," she replied coldly.

"But–"

"I said no! You cheated on me, Stefan! How am I supposed to ignore that?" she shouted angrily.

"We didn't–" Stefan began to defend himself.

"I don't care! It's over Stefan. We're over," she said and turned around to leave.

_Wow,_ Damon thought. He wouldn't have imagined it to be so easy to tear them apart.

"Elena! Stefan called after her but she ignored him and left. Helplessly he looked at his brother.

"Idiot," Damon spat and hurried after Elena.

* * *

"Elena!" Elena kept on walking. She didn't want to talk right now, to neither of them. Damon appeared at her side. "Elena."

"I'd like to be alone for a while, Damon," she told him. Her voice was shaking from suppressed emotions.

"I know," Damon said. "Just let me take you home."

"I don't need you to."

"I don't know what's Katherine's up to. But eventually she'll do try to do something to you and I want to prevent that. I'll walk you home and then if you want me to I'll leave immediately."

"Fine," Elena agreed curtly.

They walked silently down the street until they reached the Gilbert house. They stepped on the porch and Elena took her keys out of her pocket. When she raised her head she met Damon's apologetic gaze.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It was a stupid idea to go look for him."

"No, it's okay," Elena replied, controlled as ever. "I'd rather know then be lied about it."

"You okay?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "See you later, Damon," she added and opened the front door.

"Later, Elena," Damon said and left.

No one else was home. Of course not. Jeremy was still at school and Jenna at work. They wouldn't come home before two hours.

Elena went upstairs into her bedroom with the intention to distract herself from her misery. Her gaze fell upon her college application. which she had barely worked on. Before all of this had happened she had been going to apply to Journalism School. She had wanted to become a writer since she was twelve and she couldn't think of another profession to work in. But with the recent events she had neglected her plans more and more though the deadline for applications was like in a week.

How would she be able to finish her application by then? Tears started to well up in her eyes and stream down her face. Absolutely everything was falling apart. She couldn't take it.

* * *

Damon decided to walk home. For one thing because it would take longer until he would have to face Stefan again and for another because it gave him some time to think.

He felt crushed. Although he had developed more hatred than love for Katherine it had hurt to see her with Stefan. It was like 1864 all over again. He had convinced himself of the fact that he had gotten over her but still he felt his heart call out to her. Reluctantly he missed her.

On the other hand there was Elena. She was obviously more affected by it. She seemed so okay with everything but he knew that he had only seen a façade which he knew would crack to pieces soon. It didn't take anything big to break her down and there was nothing he could do about it.

He raised his head to see Alaric Saltzman walked up to him, looking concerned. _Great, he's the last person I need right now._

"Hey, have you seen my student? Elena?" he asked. "I saw you leaving the campus together."

"She's not feeling well. Something came up. I took her home," Damon told him.

"Oh, what happened?"

"It's a long story," Damon evaded.

"Mm, I hope she'll be better soon," Saltzman said. Damon nodded. "No, you don't understand. I overheard a conversation between the guidance counselor and the principal. They are going to expel her because of the cutting."

"What? It didn't happen that often."

"They are very strict about it. One more absence without permission and that's it," Saltzman replied sadly.

"I'll take care of it," Damon announced.

"No, you won't!" the teacher contradicted. "You can't just mess with people's minds as you please."

"Elena's suffering from enough misery already. I won't hold back and watch more of it crush her."

"It's her own fault," Saltzman reminded him. "Even if she's miserable she can't just oppose the rules."

"Are you defending them?"

"No, I'm not but these are the rules," Saltzman answered dejectedly.

Damon didn't reply to that. He averted his gaze from the teacher and let it wander around the area until it lingered on a plumb man walking straight toward them.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Damon muttered.

"Ah, Damon. We already had the pleasure," John Gilbert greeted him and came to a rest in front of him.

Damon pursed his lips and glared at him, silently transmitting the message _Why the hell are you still alive?_ But John ignored him and turned to Saltzman instead.

"And Mr Saltzman of course."

"Okay, you obviously know who I am," Saltzman said.

"I know everything about you," Gilbert replied. "My knowledge goes beyond anything in this town. You're Alaric Saltzman, the history teacher with a secret. Nobody knows why you came here, nobody but me."

"Oh yeah and how's that?" Saltzman challenged him.

"I think you the answer to that pretty well, _Ric_." Saltzman flinched at the nickname. Gilbert turned back to Damon. "I know you wonder why I'm so alive. I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not that easy to kill," he told him, waving his right hand. Damon spotted a big ring on his middle finger. "So no speed-snap-kill-vamp move. If I die everything I know will go to the council. I took care of that." Saltzman and Damon glared at him. "It was nice meeting you, _Ric_," he added and strolled away. Damon watched him menacingly.

"Don't even think about it."

"Why, he knows too much!"

"Yes, he knows about Isabol for one thing."

"Huh?"

"Isabol used to be the only one to call me _Ric_," Saltzman explained.

Damon sighed in frustration. He dropped his gaze and caught something on the teacher's hand.

"The ring! You've got the same like him! Where'd you get that ring?" he demanded.

"From Isabol," Saltzman answered. Damon's eyes widened. "She said it would always protect me from any physical harm."

"So it can technically bring you back from death, too?" Damon looked at Saltzman, pondering…

"No, forget it. I won't be your guinea pig!" Saltzman refused. Damon only smirked. Then using vampire speed he lunged the teacher from behind and snapped his neck. Saltzman's body fell limp to the ground. Damon knelt down beside him and started counting.

"One… two… three…"

Saltzman's eyes shot open and he woke with a startle. Breathing hard he slowly straightened up and glared at Damon. "Is that enough proof to you?" he snarled.

Damon grinned. "Yes. So John's got a ring that can revive him. And you do, too. That'll be actually pretty unfair if you should ever piss me off."

Saltzman got up and knocked the dust off of him. "Seriously, that's your only problem?"

"No, John's my only problem," Damon declared. "We have to get rid of him without being exposed to the council."

"Well, good luck with that," Saltzman said, patted him on the shoulder and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To the pharmacy. Get an aspirin for the neck ache you caused me."

Damon grinned and turned to the other direction to go home.

* * *

Elena spent the afternoon sitting on the bench by the window in her bedroom, writing in her journal, staring into the emptiness and occasionally bursting into tears but they had dried by the time she had finished writing. Everything that was going through her head and hurting her was now converted into words and saved in her diary. The heaviness threatening to crush her was gone. A clean break, Elena told her aching heart and managed to replace the pain with anger.

Oh yes, she was angry at Stefan and at herself. For trusting him, for loving him… for him deceiving and cheating on her… for being so weak… She didn't need any of this. She needed security. She needed unconditional trust and unique, requited love. Basically all the things Stefan couldn't give her. So she was done with him. She felt freer now. Even the jealousy toward Katherine was gone. At least concerning Stefan. As for Damon she was still determined to save him from falling victim to Katherine's false love again. And she swore to succeed.

Voices from the street distracted her. She glanced down to see Jeremy come home, accompanied by Anna. Elena was happy for her brother that he had found the girl, or rather that she was with him. He seemed to carefree around her, truly happy. A smile spread across her lips as she watched them kiss goodbye. She made a mental note to thank Anna later for saving her brother from misery.

"I'm home," Jeremy's voice sounded from downstairs. Elena put her diary aside and walked downstairs.

"You're home early," Jeremy said when he saw her.

"Yes, dad," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I cut."

Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise. "Again? You're getting worse than me. You okay? Is something wrong?"

Elena smiled. Her brother always cared as much about her happiness as she cared about his. She shook her head.

"Nothing of importance. Hey, would you like to do something sometime? Get out of town?"

"Sure," Jeremy agreed.

"I was thinking dropping by at Grandpa and Grandma Gilbert, you're in?"

"When?"

"I don't know. How about tomorrow after school?" Elena suggested.

"Can I drive?" he asked.

Elena grinned. "Sure."

"Great," Jeremy said. "I'm in."

They smiled.

* * *

When Damon arrived home the boarding house was empty. Stefan was probably out, chasing squirrels. Damon walked into the parlor and poured himself a drink as his mind was processing all the things he had come to know today.

First, his brother was blinded by unreal love that was radiating from his ex-girlfriend. Once again Stefan was stealing Katherine from him.

Secondly, Katherine didn't seem to care about him the way she had told him recently. In addition, Elena, his only friend, was crushed by the recent events was going to be expelled from school because he had persuaded her to cut only to find out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. It was his fault so he would take care of it. Despite Saltzman's decline he would compel the principal into giving Elena another chance.

And last but not least he had found a new, dangerous enemy in John Gilbert who was immortal thanks to a stupid ring no one other than Saltzman's ex-wife must have given him, and John also threatened to expose him and his brother to the council. That was by far his biggest problem…

Damon raised his head when he heard the front door open and close. A second later Stefan stepped into the parlor. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Damon. They stood there, staring into each other for what seemed like ages until Stefan opened his mouth to speak.

"How's Elena?" he asked.

"Are you blind or stupid?" Damon flared up. "She is upset of course. Probably crying right now." Stefan lowered his head, guiltily. Damon put his glass on the table and started to walk toward his brother. "I'm curious how you're going to make it right. You know that Elena's big on trust and so am I. How are you going to regain our trust?"

"What do you have to do with it?" Stefan inquired.

"Katherine is mine," Damon stated icily. "Always was. And like back in 1864 you don't care. You just help yourself. But this time I won't hold back and watch. I won't lose her to you again." He paused. "In the meantime I suggest you figure out a way to get back with Elena."

Damon walked away, upstairs into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. He slumped on his bed and waited. After a few minutes he heard the front door close and frowned.

* * *

As it had been a long day Elena decided to go to bed early but to read in Isabol's journal before. She was eager to find out more about her birth mother and possible parallels between them. Of course it would also remind her of Katherine and her current problems but the urge to know was too strong.

She opened the journal and skipped to a page she hadn't read already. The entry was about Isabol's declaration as cheerleading queen. She was very happy about it. Elena smiled and turned the pages until she found a very interesting entry.

_June 5, 1991_

_Yesterda__y I saw a woman. She looked just like me! Her curly brown hair, her features… She could be my twin! The similarity scares the hell out of me. _

_First thing I did today was changing my appearance. I had my hair dye black and cut to the shoulders. From now on I'll keep wearing it straight. I also changed my makeup. It's darker now. I like my new style because I don't resemble that woman anymore._

So this had been the first time her mother had seen Katherine. Elena could understand her quite well. She'd been shocked, too, when she'd found out that she looked exactly like Katherine.

_I also asked Mom and Dad if I have a lost twin sister but they said no. They said my birth mother had only delivered one child. They have also been pointing out that I looked exactly like my real mother so I guess that woman is related to her and in any way. I'll be doing some research about that. _

Elena envied Isabol for knowing she had been adopted two years earlier than her. Curious about Isabol's findings she turned the page to read the next entry but froze when a chill ran through her body. She raised her head to see that the window was open and more importantly that Stefan was standing in her bedroom.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"Talk," he answered simply.

"I told you there's nothing to talk about, Stefan."

"Elena, please…"

"Isn't it enough that you cheat on me? Do you have to haunt me now?" Elena shouted.

"I didn't–"

"GET LOST!"

"Elena, don't–"

"I mean it, Stefan! Get the hell out of here!" Elena shouted and hurled Isabol's journal at him. He caught it before it could hit him. I don't want to see you ever again, Stefan! Now go before I lose control!"

Stefan realized that it was no use. He placed Isabol's journal on the dresser.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before leaving through the window.

Elena burst into tears. She cried for a few minutes until her phone went off. Teary-eyed she glanced at the display to see that she had received a text message from Damon.

_Hey. Stefan just came back. I figured he met you. How are you?_

Elena sniffed and texted him back. _I'm fine. Thanks for asking though._

_Liar._

A smile tucked at the corner of her mouth. She searched for Damon in her contacts and dialed his number.

"_Hey."_

"Hey. Just so you know I'm not lying."

_"Not?"_

"No. Somehow I'm glad we ran into them."

_"So?"_

Because as I told you before I'd rather know than be left in the dark," Elena explained.

_"Figures."_

"Yes."

_"Are you going to school tomorrow?"_

"Yes. Oh, and I'll be gone for the weekend. I'm gonna pay a visit to my Gilbert grandparents."

_"Well then I hope your weekend rocks,"_ Damon replied.

"It sure will. Hope yours, too."

_"Elena, I rock so my weekend will definitely rock, too."_

"Figures," Elena said smiling and after a pause she added "Goodnight, Damon."

_"Night, Elena."_

Smiling Elena hung up. She got out of bed to close the window which was still open, then she crawled back into bed and turned off the light. The last thought that occurred to her before she fell asleep was how happy she was to have a friend like Damon who cared about her.

* * *

_I'm done trusting you it's ended_

_Even after I catch you red handed_

_You could've been my only one_

_But now your chance is gone_

_Don't you understand?_

_Don't wanna be your backup plan_

_It isn't my fault you don't know a good thing_

_You could've been my only one_

_But now your chance is gone

* * *

_

_Okay, maybe the part about Elena being expelled is a little exaggerated but I need to make her as miserable as possible, sorry for that. But you'll get something for it. Delena is on the way ~_

_Again, I don't know when I'll be able to update because of my stupid computer . _


	33. Beside You

_Hello everyone! My PC still isn't working properly but it was so kind as to let my upload this chapter. _

_Remember when I said I need to make Elena as miserable as possible? Well, I think I've done that now. But Damon, the knight in... well, Damon is there to help her. Delena cuteness on the way ~ Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 33: Beside You  
**

Elena didn't sleep well that night. She had nightmares about Katherine hurting her and Damon. She woke up early and wrote the content of her dream in her diary before she did anything else.

_

* * *

Dear __Diary,_

_I had a nightmare again. But not like those I had after my parents died when I saw their car fall off the bridge over and over again. This dream was different._

_I was at someplace I didn't recognize, together with Damon. But something was not right. I could feel it._

_I reached out for Damon because I was scared but he seemed to be too far away for me to touch him. I tried to approach him but the closer I came the bigger the distance between us grew. Then I saw why. Katherine was dragging him away. I screamed for him but in the end I lost him._

_Then I woke up._

_What could be the meaning of this dream? I'm still out of breath and my heart's beating fast. I was really scared to lose Damon (to Katherine?) but why? We aren't _that_ close. We're friends. But still…_

_Strangely, Stefan never appeared in my dream…_

* * *

After she had finished Elena got up and got ready for school. In front of Jenna and Jeremy she pretended that nothing was wrong.

"Morning," she greeted them and they greeted her back.

"Do you want to drive, Jer?" Elena offered.

"Oh, I'm okay. I'm gonna ride my bike," Jeremy answered.

"Lately, you've been riding your bike more often to school," Jenna observed.

Jeremy blushed slightly. "Yeah. The air really kicks in, you know?" he said and winked at Elena who grinned.

"Sure," Jenna muttered, not believing a single word.

"So, Jer," Elena said. "I say we come home first, pack some things and then take off, you agree?"

Jeremy nodded as his mouth was full with cornflakes.

"You guys have plans?" Jenna inquired curiously.

"We're going to pay Grandpa and Grandma Gilbert a visit," Elena told her. "Get out of here for a few days."

"That's good because I'm going to spend the weekend at Alaric's," Jenna informed them.

Jeremy smirked. "So, you and our history teacher, huh?"

"That's none of your business," Jenna said, grinning. "How about we change the subject? Elena," she suddenly turned to her niece. "How are the college applications coming?"

"Um, good. Almost finished," Elena lied, felling uneasy.

"When's the deadline again?"

"In two weeks," Elena went on.

"I'm sure you'll get accepted by them all. Your grades are fine and those essays come naturally to you," Jenna babbled.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I gotta go," Jenna announced and got up. "I have another meeting with Pearl.""

Elena nearly choked on her orange juice. "Pearl?" she croaked.

"Yeah. She and her daughter Anna recently moved to town. Pearl wants to open a shop," her aunt explained. "And Anna is a friend of Jeremy's right, Jer?"

Jeremy's eyes snapped open in shock. He blushed furiously and looked like he wished for the ground to give away. Before he could even open his mouth to deny what she had just claimed Jenna wished them a nice weekend and left. Still appalled Jeremy turned to his sister.

"How does she know?"

"She must have seen you together," Elena answered grinning. "Welcome to the world of spying legal guardians."

Jeremy shook his head in disbelief and got up to put his bowl into the dishwasher.

"So Pearl and Anna are back in town?"

"Seems like it," Jeremy replied. "See you later, El."

"Bye, Jer."

Jeremy left for school and a few minutes Elena did, too.

* * *

When she entered the building she saw Caroline in the hallway, talking to Bonnie who chose to ignore Elena completely. Caroline however walked over to her when she spotted her by the lockers.

"Hey, Elena."

"Hey, Caroline."

"Look, I don't know what's between you and Bonnie but I won't be a part of it. I will not stop talking to you because of it," Caroline declared bluntly.

"Um, thanks, Caroline." She gave her a small smile.

"You were going to apply to Journalism Schools, too, right?"

"Yeah, that was the plan," Elena said hesitantly.

"Great. What's your favorite?"

"Um, University of Richmond."

"Mine, too!" Caroline beamed. "It would be so cool if we'd both get accepted!"

"Yes. I'll keep my thumps crossed for you," Elena replied.

"Same for you," Caroline promised. "So, um, I gotta go. This really sucks between you. I hope you'll fix it soon," she added.

"Yeah, me, too."

Caroline rejoined with Bonnie and walked away with her. Elena leant back against the lockers, blinking away the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

* * *

If Elena thought it couldn't get any worse she would be proved different as soon as lunch hour began. When she stepped into the hallway her guidance counselor Mr Finley asked her to accompany him to his office.

The following half an hour turned out to be the worst in her life since she had gotten over her parents' death.

Mr Finley spread several documents on his desk while he was talking insistently to her. His words overran her like a tsunami with full force. The impact even hurt as much.

Several things had been adding up. She was failing all of her classes except American History and the cutting had not gone unnoticed. She had simply cut too often. Bottom line: she was about to be temporally expelled.

Elena burst into tears. She tried to explain to the counselor that she was in a bad state. Many things had been responsible for her failure. Mr Finley felt sorry for her but told her that the rules didn't just disappear. He suggested to see a therapist with whom she could share her problems. He also told her that she had to pull herself together as she was currently applying to colleges. That made the last rock Elena was holding on to crumble to pieces. With everything falling apart and the deadline approaching dangerously fast college seemed to be an unreachable dream right now...

Elena was still crying when she left Mr Finley's office. She felt so ashamed and equally so lonely. She didn't have anyone to talk to about her new problems. She didn't want to spoil Caroline and Matt's time together. Bonnie wasn't talking to her. She wasn't talking to Stefan and she didn't dare to tell Jenna. There was no one.

"Elena…" A soft voice attracted her attention. She raised her head and her teary-eyed gaze met Damon's.

"Damon," she whispered.

Damon, whose face was blank, took a step forward and gently drew her into his arms, holding her close. She buried her face into his chest, sobbing hard. Damon rubbed her back soothingly and whispered comforting words into her ear.

"Everything's gonna be fine, I promise."

These words sounded so much like something Stefan would say… but she was painfully aware of the fact that it wasn't Stefan holding her. It was Damon. And even though they calmed her down because she realized that she still had a firm rock to hold on to. That rock was Damon.

When said vampire noticed that she had stopped sobbing he made her face him and said "Let's go outside and catch some air."

Elena nodded. Damon put one arm around her waist as he led her toward the exit. Elena clung on to him for dear life, afraid to lose her hold on him. Walking up the hallway they passed the history classroom that Saltzman was just exiting. He glared at Damon.

"Didn't I tell you not to do it?"

"Relax, I didn't do anything," Damon defended himself. "I just came to look after Elena. Is that a crime now?"

Saltzman pondered whether he should believe him or not but he got distracted when his cell phone started ringing. He started at the unknown number, hesitating before he answered the call.

"Yes? Yes, this is him." He walked back into the classroom, gesturing to Damon and Elena to follow him and shut the door. Then his eyes widened in horror and he paled out. "Thanks for calling. I'll be there in an hour," he said into the phone and hung up.

He looked at Damon and Elena. Damon bit his lip. He had caught the caller's voice and therefore knew what was wrong. But Elena didn't know anything and she definitely didn't want to know the news but she had to. After a long pause Elena opened her mouth.

"Alaric, what is it?"

Saltzman unfroze and cleared his throat. "The Flemmings are dead. Murdered," he answered his voice barely above a whisper.

Elena's eyes widened in shock.

"No," she breathed. "No, they can't… No!"

Elena felt all strength leave her and her legs giving in.

"Elena!"

Before her knees could hit the floor Damon had caught her in his arms. He held her close, comforting her like he had before. Elena had started crying again.

"Why?" she demanded between sobs. "They didn't do anything. Who would…?" And then the scales fell from her eyes. "Katherine…"

"Elena," Damon began, afraid she might totally crack up.

"It must have been her!" Elena insisted. "She even told us yesterday." She tried to mimic Katherine's voice as she repeated her words. "_I've got things to do._"

"Elena, you're upset and you're jumping to conclusions," Damon said.

"No, she's not," Saltzman contradicted. "The police said they were killed yesterday afternoon. They also told me how they were killed. They said a maniac ripped their throats open and drained them of blood."

"See?" Elena said in a high-pitched voice, crying even harder.

"But why would she do that?" Damon asked confused. He couldn't think of a reason.

But to Elena it was obvious. "Because they got to know me. Because they were involved with me… She wanted to prove a point…"

"I gotta go. They're waiting for me," Saltzman announced ten minutes later. "I'll tell if it was a vampire. I'll recognize the bite marks," he added.

Passing Elena he patted her on the shoulder and then he left. Damon and Elena stayed a few more minutes in the classroom as Elena was still crying into his chest.

* * *

When she had no strength left to cry Damon scooted her up in his arms and carried her outside and all the way home. Entering the house he met Jeremy in the hallway.

"What happened?" he demanded worried.

"Your sister had a breakdown," Damon told him as he walked upstairs and into Elena's bedroom with Jeremy following him. He gently lay Elena's now sleeping form down and pulled up the blanket. Elena stirred in her sleep but didn't wake up. Damon turned to Jeremy.

"I need you to care of your sister for me. If anything happens you'll call me, got it?" Jeremy nodded. "Elena has my number in her contacts. I'll be back later."

He shot one last glance at Elena before he left through the window. Jeremy said down on the bed and watched Elena sleep.

* * *

Damon knew he couldn't do much to help Elena but he certainly do one thing to save her from more misery. He didn't care that his action was generally seen to be wrong. To his mind nothing was more appropriate than this.

After having left Elena in Jeremy's care Damon went back to Mystic Falls Highschool and caught the principal by surprise.

"Hi. Mystic Falls Watchers Council. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," the principal said and invited him into his office. Damon closed the door and walked up to the desk where the principal was sitting and doing paperwork. "They send me as their survey boy. I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions," Damon made use of his unmistakable charm.

"No, of course not. Please go ahead," the principal encouraged him.

"Thanks. See, I need to know if you're currently wearing or consuming any sort of verveine."

"Ver-what?"

Damon smiled viciously. He got even closer to the principal and caught his gaze.

"You will not expel Elena Gilbert. You know that she has been going trough a lot and even now she is in a bad state. Even though her grades are bad and she has been cutting often recently you will graciously overlook it and wait for her to change which she will do eventually. Now repeat what I said…"

* * *

As soon as that matter was taken care of Damon returned to Elena through the open window. Elena was still asleep, regaining her strength. Damon walked over to her, bent down and gently stroked her cheek, once, twice, thrice. Elena unconsciously leant into his touch. Damon smiled. He got up and turned to the window to leave. However when he spotted something in Elena's trash he stopped and took a closer look at it.

A folder labeled 'College Application' was in there. Frowning Damon took it out and opened it. The folder contained the application documents to a Journalism School at a college in Richmond. At first Damon wondered why Elena had thrown it away but then he saw the deadline. It was due in five weeks. Elena obviously didn't think she'd make it till then.

He glanced at Elena and then he grabbed the folder and left.

* * *

When Damon arrived at the boarding house Stefan was in his bedroom, brooding. Damon was grateful for that because for what he was going to do he needed peace and quiet.

He walked into the study and spread the application documents and the college brochure over the desk. He quickly scanned over them and then he started to fill in the application form with Elena's data.

An hour later Stefan who had noticed Damon's return joined him in the study. Damon casually covered the application form. Stefan walked over to him and glanced at the documents on the desk, frowning.

"A college application?" he said. "You're going back to college?"

Damon let out an irritated sigh. "Believe it or not, little brother but I'm actually bored in this town."

"Even though, college? You never stroke me as the studying type," Stefan continued. "Especially not in the field of journalism."

"It's an asset to broaden your horizon. You should try it, too," Damon replied sarcastic. Then he shrugged. "I haven't tried journalism before so I thought I'd try it after I tried everything else."

"Like?"

"Law… medicine… politics… history… arts… literature… do you get the picture?"

"I think so," Stefan answered. "I tried medicine, too but as soon as blood was concerned it was out of question."

"The blood was no big deal for me but I thought I better not… provoke anything."

Stefan nodded, his gaze fixed on the brochure.

"Elena once told me she wanted to become a writer," he told Damon.

"Oh really?" Damon feigned ignorance.

"Yeah. Because her mother encouraged her to become one."

"Interesting. I might ask her for advice." Stefan was silent. "Could you please continue to brood somewhere else now?" Damon added irritated. "I'm kinda late. I need to finish this before dusk."

"Yeah," Stefan said. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Damon replied mockingly.

Stefan left the study without another word and Damon redirected his attention to the college application. How he hated those 'Tell us about you in 500 words' essays. He didn't find it difficult to write them, at least not when his person was concerned. On the other hand writing about Elena while pretending to be Elena wasn't that easy. But Stefan had given him an important hint. So it had been her and her mother's ambition for her to become a writer, huh?

He grabbed the pen and started writing. He didn't pay attention to the time which was passing by fast. Another hour later he was done and read the essay again.

_

* * *

'__We cannot fail to win unless we fail to try.' Label your mission 'fail' and you can be sure you have already accomplished it. Winning however demands a certain amount of strength you don't always have on demand._

_During the last year I went through a lot of changes. I was forced to adjust to a complete new situation. As life goes on you leave some things behind and come across new ones in return. My life resembled the chapter of a fantasy book. I encountered things I never believed possible. I tried to avoid them at first but with time I learnt to accept and live with them. In the end they became a part of my life I would not want to miss now. _

_The experience made me realize that changes are normal in our lives. They throw you off the road but if you only pull yourself together and gather all your courage you will be able to return to your road. It might lead you somewhere else now but the closer you get you will see that the place you are going to end up is not as bad as it seems at first glance. Even the journey to that place does not seem so frightening. You take a few blows but if you only stay hold on you'll reach your destination strong and happy._

_You want me to tell you about me in 500 words._

_I get angry sometimes and scared. In those situations I would like to hide in a cave until the threat is gone. But I also know that challenges are there for are reason, same as walls. Your path may seem blocked but if you put your mind to it you will figure out a way to either break the wall or overcome it otherwise. With every success I grow and develop. I think personal development is also an important trait of writers. It saves them from becoming monotonous and thus boring._

_I've developed several new traits. I face dangers and threats willingly now, knowing that everything will be fine in the end. I do not lose hope but continue to trust in my skills. I know what I want and do not hesitate to try to achieve what I planned. I can work on my own just fine but I prefer to work with other people to get to know different opinions. Pressure is my friend rather than my foe because it forces me to give my best. And I know that if only I try hard enough I do everything._

_I like to express myself with words not only in my maternal language but in Spanish as well. I'm proud to be an American, pursuing my own American Dream. Like Martin Luther King I have a dream today. My dream is to study journalism at a college that will help me develop and become an omniscient writer who moves people, influences them and makes them take action. It is a dream I'm convinced of will come true at your Journalism School. _

* * *

Yes, Damon thought. _I can leave it like that._ He glanced at the old grandfather's clock to find that it was ten to six. He had to hurry.

Using vampire speed he gathered all the documents required (including a writing sample Elena had already prepared) and put them into the folder and the folder into an envelope addressed to the Journalism School of the University of Richmond, Virginia. Then he grabbed the envelope and rushed to the post box.

_When your tears are spent on your last pretense_

_And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense_

_When it's in your spine, like you've walked for miles_

_And the only thing you want is just to be still for a while_

_When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath_

_And the space between the things you know is blurry nonetheless_

_When you try to speak, but you make no sound_

_And the words you want are out of reach, but they've never been so loud_

_Trust in me, trust in me_

_Don't pull away_

_Just trust in me, trust in me_

_I'm just trying to keep this together,_

_'Cause I could do worse and you could do better_

_And if your heart wears thin,_

_I will hold you up_

_And I will hide you when it gets too much_

_I'll be right beside you_

_Nobody will break you

* * *

_

_Whoa, Katherine killed the Flemmings just to prove a point. Shocked? _

_Ah by the way Elena's dream actually has a meaning. It was some kind of a warning. More to that in the next chapter which will be full of angst and suspense! _

_P.S the quote I used at the beginning of the essay is by Tom Clancy, a very intelligent man whose books are just awesome.  
_


	34. Abducted Part 1

_I'm back again! I'm not really over the death of my cat but I found out that writing is the only way that makes me forget about it for a little while. So that's what I'll be doing. Writing as much as I can. I actually have already finished a whole chapter but I won't upload it in full for that my computer will only work on its terms again. I'm so looking forward to my new one! Anyway I'll post the chapter in many mini chapter. This way you will always be excitedly waiting for the next part. So I hope you'll enjoy the first!_

* * *

**Chapter 34: Abducted**** (Part 1)**

While Elena was sleeping Jeremy was down in the living room doing his homework. After an hour he got up to make a sandwich. That was when the phone rang.

_"Jeremy, where the hell are you?"_ Jenna's concerned voice rang in his ears. _"I thought you were going to visit your grandparents!"_

"Oh, hey, Jenna," Jeremy said. "We stayed home. Elena's not feeling well."

_"Did something happen?"_

"No," Jeremy lied. "She's just pretty tired from school."

_"I see. Well, Alaric had to cancel so I drove to Gloves Hill to join you. But I better come home now."_

"No!" Jeremy said. "Stay where you are. We're fine."

_"But Elena –"_

"She'll be fine, too," Jeremy assured.

_"Well, if you say so then I'll see you Sunday night."_

"See you then, Jenna," Jeremy replied, hung up and resumed making his sandwich when Elena entered the kitchen.

"Was that Jenna?" she asked.

"Yeah. How are you?"

"Better." She faked a smile.

"Wanna talk about it?" he offered.

Elena sighed and sat down at the counter. "I failed, Jeremy."

"Failed what? Which class?"

"All of them. Well, apparently not American History but I'm sure Alaric took care of that."

"Oh, wow. That's bad…"

"It gets even worse. Because of the grades and the cutting they're gonna suspend me until I feel ready to deal with school again. Mr Finley even suggested seeing a therapist."

"Again? Sorry," her brother immediately apologized. "Why are you failing?"

"I don't know. It's just so much. Katherine… Stefan cheating on me with her… and I just found out that Katherine killed the Flemmings."

"Your grandparents? I'm sorry."

Elena tried a real smile. "Thanks."

"That Katherine woman is handful, huh?" Jeremy said.

"You have no idea. Be careful when you go outside, Jer. She killed my grandparents just to prove a point."

"I will be," he promised.

Elena got up. "I'll be out on the porch, reading," she told him.

"Okay."

Jeremy walked back into the living room to finish his homework and Elena went outside on the front porch. She sat down on the swing, looked down at the necklace she was wearing and sighed.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_"Look, Elena, I've brought something for you," Damon said and took out the necklace that once belonged to Katherine. Elena's face fell._

_"Why?" she asked simply._

_"Katherine might pretend to be you someday," he explained. "The necklace tells the difference. Katherine can't wear it because the verveine weakens her and besides it's from back then. It's unique and can't be copied."_

_"I'd rather prefer to keep on wearing yours," she said bitterly._

_"I'd prefer that, too," Damon replied. "Just until Katherine is gone. Come here." He stood behind her, brushed her hair aside, took off his present and put the other jewelry around her neck. Then he faced Elena again and put his present into her palm. "Keep it. Don't lose it. It's precious."_

_"I will," Elena promised._

**END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

**

Elena sighed again and opened Isabol's journal which she had brought with her. She opened it on no specific pages, letting chance decide where she would continue to read.

* * *

_August 8 1991_

_Dear Diary,_

_I saw the woman again!_

_This time she approached me and talked to me. She told me she was family and that she had known my mother once. Her name is Katherine Pierce. So I am a Pierce, too._

_Katherine seems to be nice on the outside but something keeps telling me not to let my guard down. I still don't know why she appeared out of nowhere and what she's up to. Why did she come now of all times if she really is family?_

_I talked to John about it and he agrees that something is not right about Katherine.

* * *

_

For a brief moment Elena wondered if "John" was her birth father. She was curious to find out more about him so she turned the page and read the next entry.

* * *

_August 30 1991_

_Dear Diary, _

_I'm shocked._

_I just found I'm pregnant!_

_I did the test at home and at the doctor's office. Both times the result was positive._

_I don't know what to do. I'm only 15. How am I supposed to raise a child? _

_I blame John for this. He seduced me on Independence Day when I got drunk._

_John by the way is shocked, too. He doesn't know what to do, either. Though I could really need an opinion now. I need to make a decision about whether I keep the baby or not. Honestly I'd rather not. The problem is that I need my parents' permission for an abortion. But they mustn't find out by all means._

_I think it's the best to keep it and run away. I don't know where to go but I'll figure it out. Another option would be the death of the child but I don't think I can do it._

_

* * *

Sep 30 1991_

_I ran away._

_John left me a week ago. He doesn't want to take responsibility for the child. Now I'm all alone with the spawn._

_I don't want to be a mom. I had so many plans and that stupid baby makes them all unreachable. I wish it would just die. I tried to kill it a few times. I punched myself in the belly. I did all the things you shouldn't do when you're pregnant. I even ended up with internal bleeding in the hospital but it's still alive!_

_Life isn't fair!_

* * *

Elena stared at the entry. Now _she_ was shocked. Her mother had intentionally tried to kill her. She had wanted to get rid of her. She, Elena, had only been in her way.

A single tear ran down her face. All the time she had thought her mother was caring and kind and all the other things that matched the term "mother but those lines proved that she hadn't meant anything to Isabol. How could she be so cruel to her unborn child? Elena couldn't understand it. She had had a completely different image of her mother. She had thought she had been one of Katherine's victims but instead she was just like her.

Elena closed the journal and fought the urge to throw it away. After all it was just another monumental disappointment.

She didn't need any of this. She didn't want to get to know Isabol anymore. She didn't care about her anymore. She didn't care about anything anymore.

Elena sighed and dried her tears. Closing her eyes for a moment she was startled to find someone standing in front of her when she opened them again.

"Katherine!" she gasped.

* * *

"What happened?" Damon demanded when he met Jeremy on the front porch.

"I don't know. Everything went so fast," Jeremy answered. "Elena was right here on the porch. Then I heard her scream and when I came looking for her she was gone."

Damon gritted his teeth together. There was only one option as to what had happened to Elena. She had been abducted.

"By who?" Jeremy asked.

"I have a hunch," Damon said. It could only be Katherine. "Damn!" he cursed and punched the wall. He shouldn't have left Elena alone. Especially not in this vulnerable state.

* * *

_Okay, now you know why this chapter will be intense. Katherine kidnapped Elena! :O Was bound to happen eventually. After all she has to carry out her diabolical plan._

_Oh and before you hate me let me explain the whole Isbabol thing. Well, the series showed that Isabol isn't the sweetest mother in the world and so I'm bringing out her bad side now. We all know that she has actually two sides and the good side will reveal itself, too. So just be patient. Right now Isabol is the baddest mother in the world to Elena's mind. _

_Stay tuned to find out if Elena will be saved and by who! I'll try to update regularly!_

_P.S I made another Delena video with "Tonight" from Alex Max Band. You might know that song and want to check the video out. You'll find the link in my profile. Hope you'll like it!_

_Till next time!  
_


	35. Abducted Part 2

_I'm back with good news! I got a new computer. And with vacation starting this Thursday I'll be updating regularly soon! If my muse won't stop inspiring that is. _

_Here you go with part 2 of 3. Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 34: Abducted (Part 2)**

_I must have fainted_

_'cause when I woke up __they were all gone_

_What's going on?_

_Suddenly, I was in another room_

_Terrified_

_Cannot scream, cannot move_

_Paralyzed with fear_

_Where am I?_

_Why is it happening to me?

* * *

_

When Elena woke up she was at someplace she didn't recognize. It was dark, barely lit. She couldn't make out anything within a few feet and it felt strange. Cold and stony. And it hurt. Her whole body felt sore and hurt like hell. She tried to straighten up but groaned out in pain.

"So you woke up at last," a sweet voice said.

The place lit up more because someone lit some candles. Elena's gaze traveled up that person's hand and arm, to the collarbone and finally to the face. She gasped when she looked at her own face.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," Katherine replied to her reaction.

"What do you want from me?" Elena demanded, straightening up while ignoring the pain. "What did you do to me?"

"Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You were a handful."

Elena glared at her. "Where am I?"

"Well, what does it look like to you?"

"Like a cave, only uglier," Elena retorted.

Katherine giggled. "You can be sarcastic. I like that."

"Oh, shut up," Elena said. "I know why I'm here, wherever 'here' is."

"You're smart. I like that, too," Katherine said, pacing in front of her. "Or is it because you read it all in here?" she added and raised Isabol's journal.

"I didn't need to read in that to find out about our connection," Elena snapped.

"Right, you have Damon for that, don't you?" Elena's eyes widened. "Oh, please, don't give me that look. I'm not dumb, you know. As soon as he asked if I had a twin sister I knew something was off."

"So why didn't you come to me directly? Why play the act of catching off with some old friends?"

"God, do you always ask so many questions?" Katherine complained. "For your interest, I have many plans on my agenda and I'm sorry to disappoint you but you're not my priority."

"And what did the Flemmings have to do with it? Why did you kill them? They didn't do anything to you!"

"Sweetheart–"

"Stop calling me so!" Elena interrupted.

"Fine. Elena, there are things you don't understand and I won't waste my time explaining them to you."

"Try me," Elena challenged her.

"My, you're starting to irritate me. How do Stefan and Damon bear you company?" Elena scoffed at that. Stefan and Damon actually enjoyed her company. _You're not the worst company in the world_ Damon had once said.

"Well, the Flemmings had to die because they gave you information about me and Isabol. They shouldn't have done that."

That was it? The Flemmings had to die because they had shared information about her daughter and her psychopath relative with Elena? That was why she killed them? Elena felt more angel rise inside of her but she resisted the urged to lunge at Katherine. She would need her strength later when she would try to escape.

"See, Elena," Katherine continued. "Life is a game and if someone opposes the rules they will be permanently excluded from it. I couldn't risk them telling you any more than they already had."

"So there is more."

"Of course there's more. There's always more. The Flemmings had good information sources. I don't know how much they actually found out."

"If they'd known more they would've told me," Elena reasoned. "So there was no reason for you to–"

"You're not only irritating but also stupid!" Katherine cut her off angrily. "The Flemmings couldn't give you more because they knew they were being observed by my servants. I posted them there myself. I was waiting for Isabol to show up. She's good at hiding. I hoped to find something in here," she added, holding up the journal "but it says nothing about her current location. Yet it is full of interesting details, I must say."

"You have no right to read it! It's private!"

"Do I look like I care about privacy? Anyway, how do you imagine stopping me? You can barely move." Elena glared at her. "Well, I gotta leave. I'm hungry. But when I come back I'll have a taste of you as well. I wonder if my useless sister's blood is still flowing within you."

Katherine laughed darkly and walked away. Elena leant back against the stone wall. Her mind was racing. She needed to get out of here. The problem was that she indeed couldn't move properly due to the relaxant Katherine had rejected into her system. But she had to try.

Slowly, pursing her lips so that no sound of pain would escape them she got up, holding on the stone wall. She started to recognize the place. She'd been here before. It was the tomb. At least she recalled the way out. The only prong to her escape plan would be guards posted at the exit. She didn't know if Katherine had really posted some there so she had to find out, right? Holding on to the stones she slowly made her way toward the exit.

* * *

As soon Damon knew what had happened he went home and emptied a couple bags of blood. If it really was Katherine he was going to go up against he would need his full strength.

Of course Stefan asked questions but Damon ignored him first and then told him a little lie so he wouldn't ask anymore. He was going to do it alone. It was his fault that Elena was at Katherine's mercy so he would be the one to save her, too.

* * *

The lack of light and the inability to move properly made it almost for Elena to reach the exit. She barely approached it and at a speed that, she was sure, could be doubled by a turtle. Still she kept going. She wouldn't make it too easy for Katherine. She was almost praying to God that there would be no guards waiting for her at the exit.

After what seemed like an hour her eyes found moonlight right in front of her. Relived she stalked toward it until something overshadowed it.

"Oh no, you're not trying to escape, are you?"

Elena screamed.

She was pulled by the hair. Her head hit something hard. Then everything went black.

* * *

Damon didn't even know where to start. Katherine could have brought Elena anywhere. But he didn't think she left town so he started to patrol the main street. It was late so he didn't expect to meet anyone and was surprised when he saw a face that shouldn't be around.

"Pearl?" he asked incredulously.

"Good evening, Damon," she greeted him, her eyes sharp like the ones of an eagle.

"What are you doing here?"

"My daughter and I decided to come back," she told him.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "For which reason?"

"For us wanting to live here," Pearl retorted. "We consider it our home, Damon. I'm sure you do, too. That is why you are still around." Damon was silent. "Are you looking for Katherine?"

Damon stared at her. "Why yes! How do you–"

"I'd try the tomb if I were you," Pearl said. "When I passed it a while ago I could feel an old, supernatural power in there. It can only be Katherine."

It made sense. "Well, thanks. I'll go then," Damon said. "Be careful. They're onto us," he added.

"Do I strike you as a vampire, Damon?" Pearl inquired. "As long as I behave humanly civilized no one will suspect me."

"True. Bye," Damon said and rushed off to the tomb.

* * *

When Elena woke up again she felt even worse than before because now her head and her neck were hurting as well.

Wait, the neck?

Her hand touched her neck and checked it for bite marks and she found two fresh punctures in the flesh.

"You do indeed taste like her. That's gross," Katherine's voice reached her ear.

"Does it say "Bite me!" on my forehead or what?" Elena barked.

"Don't worry I won't drink from you too soon again." Elena grimaced and held her head at the point where it was hurting. "Painful, isn't it?" Katherine said. "That was your punishment. You shouldn't have tried to escape."

"What are you going to do with me?" Elena demanded. "Keep me here? Get me pregnant and wait for me to give birth so you can steal the child away from me?"

"That would be an option," Katherine agreed. "But I'm willing to make a deal with you."

"Humph. What kind of that deal would that be?"

"I'll let you go and spare you life if you promise me your first child," Katherine suggested. "You can trust me. I'll stick to my promises."

To Elena her offer sounded awfully lot like one of those children stories. What was the name again? Ah yes, Rumpelstiltskin. She snorted.

"You kidnapped me, drugged me and split my skill. Not an effective way to gain my trust."

"True, but I'm really willing to give you that chance."

"You can stick it up your bloodsucker's–"

Before Elena could finish the sentence Katherine rushed forward until their faces were only inches apart.

"Careful," she whispered menacingly.

Elena held her head up high, meeting her gaze determinedly. "I'm scared of you, Katherine."

"You will be sooner or later," Katherine replied. "Once I killed your family and friends and you are alone you'll wish you'd accepted my offer." Elena's eyes widened. "I'm not joking, Elena. I always get what I want. No one can stop me."

"Elena!"

Katherine spun around and Elena craned her neck to look past her.

"Damon!"

Damon was standing in the tomb, close to the tunnel that led outside. He'd probably come to save her, that idiot.

"Damon, get the hell out of here!" Elena shouted.

"Pah, no way, Elena."

A wide, evil, smile was formed on Katherine's lips and she strolled seductively over to Damon.

"Damon," she purred. "I missed you…"

No matter why Damon had come in the first place it was no longer on his mind as he fell for Katherine's charm like back in 1864.

"Katherine," Damon breathed. "I missed you, too."

His face showed a dream-like expression. His mind had left the scene. He was somewhere else now – with Katherine and that was all that mattered.

He reached out for her and pulled her close into a deep kiss. It had been too long. Too long since he'd held her close and tasted those sweet lips. He would never let go of her again. She was his, forever.


	36. Abducted Part 3

_First of all, thank you so much for 331 reviews! I still can't believe you like my story that much! So thank you!_

_And now Part 3 of 3. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 34: Abducted (Part 3)**

Elena felt the urge to puke. Not only was she mad at Damon for falling so easily for Katherine's false charm but also for them making her watch their making out session. Couldn't they do it somewhere else? Anywhere else? Where she wouldn't have to watch? Elena felt tears of suppressed anger stream down her face.

_Damon, you idiot!_ she thought and couldn't help but notice the pang of jealousy hit her heart. She didn't feel anything for Damon. She was sure about that but she just couldn't stand to see him with Katherine. She wanted to shout at him to wake him up but no sound escaped her lips. She couldn't even avert her eyes. She was too shocked.

But it was also a good thing that she couldn't look somewhere else because then she would have missed Katherine's next move.

When Damon least expected it because he was too lost in the kiss Katherine pulled out a syringe.

"Damon, watch out!" Elena screamed but she was too late.

Katherine had already driven the syringe into his body and injected verveine into his system. Damon's eyes widened in shock as realization hit him and his body stiffened. In a swift movement Katherine hurled him through the tomb against the wall to the left of Elena.

"Damon!" Elena shouted and wanted to run over to him but Katherine's icy voice stopped her.

"Stay where you are!"

Elena stopped halfway. She was torn between running over to Damon and obeying her kidnapper. She looked at Damon. He was lying on the ground, facing her. He was still conscious so the dose Katherine had injected into him hadn't been very large. Still Elena could clearly see that he was in pain.

"Do as she tells you," he groaned.

Slowly, not letting Damon out of her sight, Elena walked backward until her back touched the wall and sat down.

"Good girl," Katherine said and strolled closer to them. "So what am I gonna do with you two?"

"You bitch!" Damon snarled, flinching in pain.

"Language, Damon. You don't talk to your fiancée like that."

Elena's jaw dropped. "_Fiancée?_"

"Not true," Damon spat.

"It's not the same like with humans," Katherine explained to Elena. "If a vampire promises to turn a human so they can be together forever it's similar to a proposal, don't you think?"

"You didn't turn me," Damon reminded her angrily. "I just happened to have your blood in my system when I died. Damn it, I died for you, bitch!"

"I know. I was there. You tried hard. You and Stefan. And it was you as I recall who was killed first."

"So what? The fact is that you didn't turn me. I could've just died the day after."

"But you didn't," Katherine replied in a sing-song voice. "I know what happened."

"How?"

"I was close by. After the guard let me go I stayed a little longer to watch you struggle before I left," Katherine told him.

"But Emily–"

"Emily knew of course but I ordered her not to tell you so she didn't."

Damon growled. Katherine frowned at that. "You know I was actually surprised that you were the last to turn of you two. I thought you'd crave this life so much."

"This life means _nothing_ without you!" Damon barked. "And now it doesn't even mean anything with you."

"Oh, don't say that, Damon, honey. We can still be together."

"Rejected. Go to hell, Katherine!"

Katherine pouted. "Shame on you, Damon Salvatore for turning down an offer of incredible power." Damon scoffed. Katherine chuckled. Both Elena and Damon stared at her. "Is she good a replacement for me, then?"

Elena glanced at Damon who hesitated, meeting her gaze. Then he said. "You wish."

Elena stared at him in disbelief. Now that hadn't been the answer she had expected. So she didn't measure up to Katherine. The great Katherine always comes first. Anger boiled up inside her. Katherine on the other hand smiled triumphantly.

"I haven't finished," Damon let them know. "I was going to say 'You wish you could ever be as great as Elena.' She isn't a replacement for you. She's something else entirely. She's better than you!"

Elena let out a sigh of relieve, beaming and equally trying to suppress tears of happiness. This was the first time since their road trip to Bree's that Damon had been so open to her about his feelings. It didn't matter if it was just to piss of Katherine. His uttering it out loud was all that mattered. She gave Damon a shy smile, silently thanking him whose face was blank. His eyes were fixed on Katherine's face which was full of anger. Then suddenly she calmed down and gave him her sweetest smile.

"You're a horrible liar, Damon."

"What?"

"You still have feelings for me. I can tell from the way you look at me with those longing eyes. You can't resist me. No one can."

She walked over to him and knelt down in front of him, taking his face into her hands. Damon couldn't stop her as he couldn't move. "But I will forgive you, Damon." She closed the distance between them and kissed him to put him back under her spell.

That was Elena's cue. The moment their lips touched she darted toward the tunnel.

"You're not going anywhere!" Katherine shrieked and rushed after her.

Little did she know that Elena wasn't trying to escape. After she'd injected verveine into Damon Katherine had dropped the syringe which was now lying on the ground with a rest of the elixir in it.

Feeling Katherine close behind her Elena let her body fall straight on the ground before her and lunged for the syringe. Then she quickly turned around and droved the syringe into Katherine's chest, injected verveine into her just when she was hovering above her.

Katherine stiffened and backed away. She pulled the syringe out of her body but it was too late. The verveine had already spread in her system. She glared at Damon and Elena and headed for the exit as fast as her paralyzed body would take her.

"I'll be back," she announced and then she left.

Elena let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Then she ran over to Damon, knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Damon said, still not grasping what had just happened.

Elena flashed a smile at him. "I'm sorry I missed the heart."

"Are you kidding me? She could've hurt you! Killed you even!"

"No," Elena contradicted calmly. "Katherine would never kill me. At least not before I gave birth. I'm her only chance to get a child that looks like her. She needs me."

"It was still insane." Elena just smiled. "You should go home," Damon said now.

"I'm not going without you," Elena declared.

"Then we're gonna have to spend a couple of hours more in here 'cause I can't move a finger," Damon stated.

"Blood would help, right?" Elena mused aloud.

"Forget it, Elena."

"Why? It would accelerate your recovery, right?"

"I'm not taking blood from you, Elena," Damon clarified.

"Why not? Isn't it good enough for you?" she asked pointedly.

"That's not the reason and you know it. Katherine already drank from you."

"I'm fine and I'll still be after you drank from me," Elena assured him. Damon pursed his lips. "Come on, Damon. If you take too much I'll let you know."

Damon hesitated for another moment, then he said "Relax. It won't hurt that way."

"Okay."

Elena leant back against the wall, trying to relax as best as she could. She was a little nervous of course. She'd been bitten before by Stefan but she'd never given her blood willingly yet.

Damon held on to her shoulder as he slowly straightened up and leant in. He placed his lips down on her neck just where Katherine had bitten Elena and kissed the wound. Elena shivered under his touch. The skin was very sensitive there. Damon chuckled quietly and pressed his lips to the spot again. Then he bit. His protruding fangs pierced her flesh effortlessly. Elena was surprised when it didn't hurt and gasped loudly when Damon started to suck.

She could feel her blood leaving her body and while it did she was seeing stars. Her stomach seemed to be full of butterflies. Her whole skin was tingling and she had to press her lips firmly together so that no sound would give her feelings away while one wave of pleasure was followed by the next. After some seconds she began to feel dizzy but thought it was just a side-effect of the blood exchange.

Just as though Damon knew about this he stopped sucking now and retracted his teeth. Elena watched his face change back to normal and smiled. She knew what an idiot smile it was that was on her face but she just couldn't stop smiling. She'd never felt so… aroused in her life.

Damon grinned at her dreamy expression.

"You should see your idiot smile now. It's priceless," he teased her, laughing.

The sound of his laughter made Elena snap out of it. She smacked his chest.

"You're such an ass. You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"Or course. I know how to give pleasure to women," Damon said grinning.

"Shut up," Elena said. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait, first I'll give you some blood so you'll recover just as quickly."

"No need," Elena rejected. "I told you I'd be fine and I am. Just a little tired."

"I bet you are," Damon agreed, offered her his hand and pulled her up with him. Once standing Elena lost balance and threatened to fall backward but Damon caught her. "So you're fine, yeah?"

"Yeah, I am. Don't give me blood. I just need to rest."

"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you lost much blood?"

"And have you forgotten what happened after you gave me blood? No blood tonight. I promise I'll have some rest when I'm home.

"I'll make sure of that," Damon said and scooped her up in his arms, prepared to leave.

"Wait, the journal," Elena said, pointing at the little book on the ground.

Damon picked it up and rushed out of the tomb.

* * *

"Thank god, you're back," Jeremy greeted them relieved when he noticed their return. Damon had entered through the window in Elena's room and Jeremy had heard their voices. "Is she okay?"

"I'm fine, Jer," Elena assured him. "I'm just tired. It was a long day. Just go back to bed."

"Sure. Goodnight," Jeremy said and left the room.

Once he was gone Damon carried Elena over to the bed, put her down and sat down beside her. He grabbed her hand to feel her pulse as he told her but Elena knew that it was only a pretext. She looked into his brown eyes and was surprised to find them sad.

"Damon, what is it?"

"I'm sorry, Elena," he apologized. "I came to save you but I was no help. Instead I fell for Katherine again. She's right. I couldn't resist her. Everything came back to me and I fell for her charm again.

"It's okay, Damon," Elena tried to soothe him and stroke his hand. "At least you're honest about it."

Damon knew that she was thinking of Stefan who had gone to Katherine behind her back. "Are you gonna forgive him?"

"I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll never forgive him."

Damon grinned. "That would make two of us."

"Damon? Back then when you talked about the night you turned, you seemed to be upset about something. Does Stefan have anything to do with it?"

"Not now, Elena," Damon evaded. "Stefan and I have long history. There are many reason for which I hate him and it would take too much time to explain them all in detail to you."

Elena nodded. She didn't want to push him. He had already opened up to her once tonight.

A thought crossed her mind and she frowned.

"What is it?" Damon asked now.

"Would you be mad at me if I forgave Stefan?" she inquired.

Damon shook his head. "What's between Stefan and me doesn't have anything to do with you. You can make your own decision whether you trust him again or not. You don't have to choose sides."

Elena's face lit up. She gave him a small smile that turned into a yawn.

"And that's my cue to leave," Damon said, let go of her hand and got up. "Sleep, tight."

"Wait, Damon," Elena stopped him. "Does Stefan know about this? What Katherine did to me?"

"Not yet. Do you want me to tell him?"

"No," Elena replied. "He would come to me, apologizing and brooding endlessly about how he wasn't there to save me. I wouldn't believe him after I saw him with her."

"I understand. I'll keep my mouth shut," Damon promised. "Good night, Elena."

"Good night, Damon."

Damon turned his back on her and left through the window. Elena turned off the lamp on her bedside table, closed her eyes and fell asleep soon after that.

* * *

_Okay, first I want to apologize for this really crappy supposed-to-be-action-and-suspense scene. I'm really not good at writing that. I hope you weren't too disappointed with me. I tried really hard!_

_To those who might have been a little confused by Damon's behavior. He's now definitely over Katherine after he finally realized that he had been under her spell._

_And yeah, Stefan and Elena will get back together. However this will always be a Delena story. I have all it figured out for later chapters._

_So Kath is gone but she will come back later! From now on I'll include much from the TV series, not because I can't think of something myself but because I really like the plot line. _

_Oh and by the way, this was the point where I was going to include 'the event' which unfortunately had to be postponed again. But, I now know where it will definitely take place so... stay tuned!_


	37. Closer to the Edge

_Hi everyone! Hope you're all fine! _

_Thanks again for your reviews! Speaking of which. Some of you seemed to be very disappointed that Stelena is back and Delena is overshadowered again. So I wondered how I could cheer you up and decided to include a little hint at future Delena. Look out for the words 'guilty' and 'frustrated' ;)_

_And there's something else I have to tell you. I just noticed that one part of what I wrote doesn't make any sense. Elena's still junior so she wouldn't apply to colleges now. It's too soon. You usually do it when you're a senior, right? I forgot about that for a moment because we don't have junior and senior grade in Germany. But I fixed it in the previous chapters. Elena is going to apply to the college for a summer program where she will learn some writer skills. Just so you know. _

_And now with further ado, enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 35:**** Closer To The Edge**

The rest of the weekend Elena spent mostly alone. Damon called the next morning to check up on her but they didn't talk much. Stefan didn't so Damon had kept his word. Elena didn't want to see or talk to any of them anyway. She still hadn't made up her mind although her heart already had an answer. She was missing Stefan terribly. But she couldn't just pretend that nothing had happened. And so far she wasn't ready to forgive him.

The weekend was kind enough to pass though so that Elena's mind was all wrapped up in school stuff. She had sworn to herself to become better. Hell, it was the year before her senior year. She couldn't fail now. So she would gather all her strength and resources to get back on track. And whatever it was, you may call it Fate, was supporting her in that.

"Elena?"

Elena was just walking down the hallway when she heard someone call her name and she turned around. Alaric Saltzman was standing outside his classroom, holding the door open.

"Hey, Alaric," Elena greeted him.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." They entered the classroom and Saltzman shut the door. "How you're holding up?" Elena asked.

"I'm getting there, I think," he answered. "Though I'm still a little shocked. You weren't there. It was a nasty sight."

"I'm so sorry, Alaric," Elena began.

"For what, Elena?"

"Well, it's actually my fault she killed them."

"No, it's not–"

"Yes, it is!" Elena insisted. "Look, you were gone for the weekend. You don't know what happened."

"No, I don't. Tell me," he ordered.

"Katherine kidnapped me."

"What? When?"

"Friday night. No need to freak out though. Damon saved me. I'm fine," she assured him. "The thing is I asked her why she killed them and she told me. Apparently Mary and Frank shared something with us and she didn't like it. And to stop them from telling us even more is why she killed them."

"That's insane," he said.

"I know. So, I'm sorry. We never should have visited them in the first place. It's my fault…"

"Elena…" Saltzman took a step toward her. "You didn't know that this was going to happen. None of us would have expected it." Elena was silent. "I'm just glad you got out there all right. Isabol would never forgive me if I let her daughter get hurt."

Elena forced a smile. "Probably…" She wasn't ready to tell him about Isabol's grudge against her own daughter. She hadn't told anyone yet. She wanted to read more in Isabol's journal before she did but she hadn't found the time and courage to do so yet.

"So, was that what you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked the teacher.

"Oh no, that was only half of it," Saltzman said. "Actually I was just going to have a meeting with the principal and your other teachers to talk about your situation but it was cancelled. Apparently the principal is willing to give you another chance and wait for a change in your attitude."

Elena's jaw dropped. "What? Oh my god, that's amazing! But how?"

"Not how, Elena. Who. I told him not to do it." Saltzman's face darkened.

"You mean Damon compelled the principal?"

"I think so, yeah," Saltzman said. "Because frankly you suspension was already set. There's no other way."

"I see…" Elena replied. "Look, I… I know it's wrong and I told him like a thousand times not to do it. But right now I just can't be mad at him for it. You probably think I'm a bad person now."

"No," the teacher contradicted. "No, I'm not. I guess it's a fair exception. But you've gotta work hard."

"I will," Elena promised. "I will work and study as hard as I can."

Saltzman smiled. "Good. You can go now."

"Thanks. Have a nice day, Alaric," Elena said and headed for the door.

"Oh, one last question," he added and made her stop. Elena turned around, looking at him expectantly. "What about Katherine? Is she gone?"

"She left town the same night. But she swore to come back later."

"I see. Look out then, Elena."

She gave him a smile. "I will," she promised and left.

She walked further down the hallway and stopped by her locker. Then she took out her cell phone and dialed Damon's number.

"_Hey. What's up?"_

"Hey. You're a life saver, you know that?" Elena said.

"_I don't think that term really suites me. So what are you talking about?"_

"You compelled the principal to give me another chance. Not that I approve of your means, mind you," she scolded him.

"_What? I really don't know what you're talking about, Elena."_

* * *

Luckily she couldn't see his big grin right now.

"_Oh, stop denying already. I told I'm not mad. I actually wanted to thank you."_

"Oh, in that case, you're welcome," Damon said. He listened to Elena's chuckle and added. "What are you doing? You want me to pick you up after school?"

"_Oh no, it's okay. I was going to stop by the boarding house anyway.__ Is Stefan in?"_

"Not right now but he will be when you'll come."

"_Good. I'm finally ready to talk to him. You don't mind me though, do you?"_

"No, absolutely not. Go ahead, Elena."

"_Good. So, um, can I do something for you? You know to return the __favor?"_ she offered.

"No, we're good, Elena," he replied.

"_I'm serious. Think about it. I really owe you."_ Damon chuckled at her enthusiasm. _"So I gotta go now. See you later, Damon."_

"See you later, honey," Damon said, grinning and hung up. He rested his arms behind his head and smiled, completely pleased with himself.

* * *

After 7th period Anna packed her things and left the building to go home. She usually walked back to the house her mother had bought for them. It was small but big enough for two vampires to live in.

Anna was happy that their return to Mystic Falls had turned out so well. No one had questioned them where they came from and why they had come to Mystic Falls of all places and no one suspected them as anything else except polite, and of course rich (Pearl and Anna had a bank account with the fortune they'd saved back in 1864 including interest) civilians. They behaved completely humanly Anna went to high school (Her ID said she was 16) and Pearl was about to open up a shop, something that had always been her dream. And on top of that Anna had a gorgeous boyfriend (Pearl didn't know of). All in all things were going great and they were happy about it.

Suddenly someone horn's horn honked behind her and made her jump. Just when she wanted to turn around to see who it was, a car with open roof caught up with her and kept up with her walking speed. The driver, wearing sunglasses grinned at her.

"Need a ride?" he asked smugly.

"Sure." She opened the door on the passenger's side and got in. "I guess someone got his license."

Jeremy took of his sunglasses and smirked at her. "90 points."

"Congratulations."

Jeremy said thanks and put his sunglasses back on before pushing the gas pedal. They drove silently through the town, just listening to the car radio – until Anna had an idea.

"You know what we need? A song."

"A song," Jeremy repeated little enthusiastic.

"Yeah a song that always reminds you of us."

"Okay. So what music do you listen to?" he asked.

"Basically everything except country and grandparents' stuff."

"Me, too," he agreed. "Any song that comes to your mind?"

"Mmh, do you like One Republic?" she asked.

"Yeah. Do you know their new song? The one with Timbaland?"

"Marchin' on? I love that song!" Anna told him excitedly.

And suddenly said song started in the radio right that moment. They exchanged a glance.

"I guess that's it, then," Jeremy said, grinning.

"I guess so," Anna agreed, grinning back.

* * *

_There's so many wars we fought_

_There's so many things we're not_

_But with what we have_

_I promise that_

_We're marchin on_

_We're marchin on

* * *

_

The couple was so lost in the song as they sang along to the chorus that they didn't notice who they were passing by. Pearl talking to Jenna immediately recognized her daughter – and the boy she was with and she was shocked.

* * *

As announced earlier Elena went to the boarding house right after school was over. She rang the bell and waited patiently for someone to answer the door. Two seconds later Damon opened it with his trademark smirk on his face.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"You could've just come in, you know," he told her as he let her in.

"I know but I didn't want to startle anyone." Damon gave her a look. "Anyway is Stefan back?"

"He's upstairs. I didn't tell him you're coming over," he added.

"Thanks," Elena replied, shaking her head amusedly and headed for the stairs.

"Hey." She turned around, looking at him questioningly. "I think I know something for you to make up to me," he said, stalling time.

"Really?" she asked. "What is it?" Damon cocked his brow meaningfully. Elena chuckled. "Forget it. See you later, Damon," she added and ascended the stairs.

* * *

"I'm home!" Anna called as she closed the front door behind her. The next moment she jumped when her mother was suddenly standing in front of her. "Hey, Mom."

"We have to talk," Pearl said menacingly.

"Okay. What about?"

"Jeremy Gilbert?" Pearl came straight to the point and Anna swallowed hard. "I knew he was Jenna's son but I didn't know he was a Gilbert!"

"Jenna is his aunt," Anna explained.

"Is he the reason you wanted to come back here?" Pearl demanded.

"Well, partly–"

"Are you out of your mind?" Pearl shouted. "How can you get involved with a Gilbert after all what happened?"

"Jeremy isn't like his ancestor," Anna defended her boyfriend. "He's cool about it. He likes it and he likes me."

Pearl stared at her. "What did you just say?"

"Jeremy knows," Anna admitted.

Suddenly Pearl raised her hand and slapped Anna hard. Her daughter stared at her in shock. "We have to be careful, Anna! We aren't safe if someone like him knows about our secret!" We should leave. Now."

"No!" Anna protested.

"And I want you to stop seeing Jeremy," Pearl ordered.

"That's not fair! Nothing's happened since he found out!" Anna reasoned. "And there won't be anything happening later, either. I'm telling you, Jeremy will do us no harm. Not as long as we don't kill anyone. Please, Mom. Let's stay here."

Pearl hesitated for a moment, contemplating her daughter's words, then she sighed.

"Fine but you will stop seeing Jeremy."

"Why?" Anna demanded angrily.

"Because his uncle is in town and from I understand from the major he's the head of the council," Pearl explained. "Please, Anna. I need to trust you. Promise me you'll stay away from him."

Pearl was pleading with her. Anna knew that but she just couldn't fulfill her request. She didn't know why. She just couldn't.

She looked apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, Mom, I can't. But you can trust me with Jeremy. He's not gonna say anything to anyone, let alone to his uncle."

And with that she left. Pearl remained where she was and couldn't help but worry.

* * *

Elena reached Stefan's bedroom and knocked. The door was immediately opened by Stefan who looked like he was seeing a ghost.

"I heard your voice coming from downstairs but I didn't believe it at first. I still can't believe you're here."

"Yes, I am, Stefan. Can we talk?"

"Yes, of course. Come in," he said and stepped aside so she could enter and closed the door. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," Elena said and sat down on Stefan's bed.

Unsure whether he should sit down next to her or not Stefan kept standing in front of her.

"So… how are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Let's skip the small talk, okay?" Elena replied. "You know what I want to talk about."

"Yeah, of course."

Elena ran her hands through her hair before she turned to look at Stefan again.

"Look, I don't know if you realized how much hurt me when you–"

"I did," Stefan interrupted her. "I'm so sorry about it, Elena. I swear if I'd had enough strength to resist her I would have done it."

"It's just funny you know," Elena said sourly. "Damon couldn't resist her either but at least he was being honest to me about it." Stefan hung his head. "You know that wasn't the first time you lied to me, Stefan." He nodded sadly. Elena sighed. "The thing is… I still love you, Stefan. And I want to start over."

"Me, too," Stefan agreed.

"But I need to trust you, Stefan. When Katherine comes back I'll need you by my side."

"When she comes back?" Stefan repeated. "She's gone?"

"She left Friday night," she told him.

"How do you know?"

"It doesn't matter."

"_Elena_," Stefan urged her.

"Fine, I had an encounter with her, okay?"

"What? Why didn't you tell me? What happened? Did she hurt you?" Stefan demanded concerned.

"I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to save you," Stefan said ashamed.

"I told you I'm fine. Damon saved me. But that's not the point, Stefan. Don't you see what you're doing? The point is why you didn't do it. Because I couldn't trust you."

"But you can trust Damon?" Stefan scoffed.

"Yes, in contrast to you I can." She sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. I shouldn't have come." She wanted to get up and leave but Stefan stopped her.

"Wait! Don't go yet, please," begged. He sat down next to her and took her hands in his, gazing intently at her. "I'm sorry I lied to you, Elena," he began. "You're right. I should've told you about it. I didn't want to destroy our relationship. I love you so much, Elena. I don't want to lose you over this stupidity. I really hope you can forgive me." Him looking at her like a lost puppy Elena couldn't stay cold. She sighed and put his arms around him. Relieved Stefan hugged her tightly. "I'm really sorry, Elena."

"Hush, it's okay," she said. "Apology accepted."

He drew back and cupped her face. "Thank you," he whispered and kissed her gently and Elena kissed him back.

* * *

Down in the parlor Damon poured himself another glass of bourbon. At some point he'd lost track. All he knew was that he was absolutely drunk and he didn't care at all. He rather welcomed the numbness because in this state he could get things off his mind and off his chest by talking to himself about it after a while and with a particular amount of alcohol in his system.

"Yay. The trouble is over. How peachy." He knocked the glass back. "Damon, would you be mad at me if I forgave Stefan? No, of course not, Elena. Why would I? Just go ahead. Back to your perfect, squirrel-eater. I don't mind at all."

He slumped on the couch, closing his eyes for a moment. And when he opened them again he hurled his glass against the wall where it shattered and fell in pieces to the ground.

He was frustrated. His brother was always the lucky one whereas he… Why did he turn Katherine down again? Right… for Elena – who was perfectly happy without him. Something was wrong.

Scoffing at his own foolishness Damon got up, grabbed his jacket and left. It was perfectly obvious that no one missed him. So there wouldn't be anyone missing him, either if he spent the night in a bar.

* * *

They sound of shattering glass startled Elena.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Stefan who nodded.

They got up and walked into the hallway.

"Damon?" Elena called downstairs. No answer.

She exchanged a worried look with Stefan before descending the stairs, followed by him. They entered the parlor and spotted the shards on the carpet. Stefan sighed.

"What's gotten into him again?"

Elena was silent. She couldn't help but feel guilty. Maybe her reconciliation with Stefan bothered him more than he let on.

* * *

Jeremy entered his bedroom and closed the door. His uncle John had dropped by. Now he didn't despise him or anything but at some point he had fled the scene because Jena was nagging John again.

It took Jeremy a second to realize that he wasn't alone in the room. Anna was sitting on his bed. Apparently she had been waiting for him to come upstairs.

"Hey," he said smiling.

"Hey, um, can we talk?" Anna came straight to the point.

That caught Jeremy off-guard. "Um, yeah, sure," he said and sat down on his chair, facing her. "What about?"

"My mom wants me to stay away from you," she told him directly.

"Oh…" Jeremy obviously didn't know what to say. "Okay, um, why?"

"She's on alert since she found out about your uncle."

"Uncle John?" he asked confused. "What about him?"

"He's head of the Watchers' Council, did you know that?"

"He's what?" Jeremy gasped out. "Sorry, he added, quickly lowering his voice. "No, I didn't. I swear, I didn't."

"It's okay, I believe you."

"So… do you think that's the reason came back?" Jeremy inquired. "To hunt down vampires?"

"My mom and I wondered the same thing," she told him. "But we don't know. It's likely since a lot vampire-related incidents happened here lately."

"I see…"

"So we have to be careful. I persuaded Mom to stay and see what happens but we won't take any chances."

"No, of course not. I–" Jeremy began but Anna cut him off.

"Shht! Shut up," she hissed. "They're talking about us."

"Wait, you can hear that?" Jeremy asked puzzled and received short nod as an answer. He got up and soundlessly opened the door to listen to the conversation downstairs.

"_So… I saw Jeremy today. With a girl."_ That was John talking.

"_So what?"_ Jeremy could hear his aunt ask barely interested.

"_Is she new in town? I don't I ever saw her around before."_

"_That's because you are never around. But yes, she's new. She and her mother Pearl recently moved here. Why do you ask?"_

"_Pearl you say?"_ John said pensively. _"I'm just curious, that's all."_

Jeremy turned around to Anna and stared at her with wide eyes. She too had a shocked expression on her face and she got up to leave.

"Wait!" Jeremy hissed, closing the door as silently as possible and grabbed her arm. "Wait, Anna!"

"I have to go! Let me go, Jeremy! You heard him! They're already onto us!" she said frantically.

"But if you leave now it'll make him suspicious, don't you think?"

"So what? We'll be long gone before he finds out. We'll never come back and he'll never find us." Jeremy hung his head. The prospect of losing Anna made him sad. Without her he felt lonely but he did realize that her safety came first. Anna didn't miss his mood swing of course. She cupped his face to make him look at her.

"Look, he already knows my mom. I don't know who told him but he knows her name. That means he's after her."

"I understand," Jeremy said. "But still I think you should try to find out what he wants first."

"How are we supposed to find out?" she asked.

"Remember Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" he asked back. She nodded. "Jonathan wrote it all down. Everything. He even mentioned your mother in there. I could ask John if he read the journal. He could've gotten your mother's name out of the journal."

"Okay," Anna agreed. "But be careful. And if you learn anything that makes you think we're in danger you'll call me. And then we'll leave immediately."

"I will," Jeremy promised.

Anna gave him a small smile and kissed him gently.

"I see you tomorrow," she said when they pulled apart. "Good night."

"Good night."

She turned around and left through the open window. Jeremy opened his bedroom door again, hoping to learn more from John but they had already changed the subject.

* * *

Later that night after countless shots Damon was hardly conscious. He was sitting at the counter of some bar, watching the delicious girls around him. What would he give for… but he couldn't. The council was already on alert and for his weekly amount of blood bags he almost had to cross the state line. It was too risky.

He heard the door of the bar open and close but didn't bother to turn around and find out who it was. He didn't care until that person took a seat next to him.

"I knew I'd find you here," Anna said, slightly disgusted.

Damon put on a drunken smirk.

"Sorry, Miss, but can I some ID, please?" the bartender said, eying her suspiciously.

Anna stared deep into his eyes and compelled him. "Can you shut up and leave me alone, please?"

"Yes, of course," the bartender said and continued washing the dishes.

"Oooh, someone's pissed. I'd better go," Damon said.

"Wait, I need you help."

Damon raised his brows. "I don't think I'll remember your request in the morning."

"Oh, I'll make sure you will alright," Anna threatened him.

"Fine," Damon gave in. "It seems I've been a barrel of favors lately. So go ahead and add yours to the list."

"Why didn't you tell us John Gilbert's onto us?" she demanded.

"Hold on a second here, I told your mother they were back on alert."

"That's not it. It seems like John is particularly after my mother," Anna explained.

"How do you figure?"

"I overheard a conversation in the Gilbert household, okay? The point is he knows her name so he seems to have some business with her."

"Aha. And your telling me this because…"

"Because I want you to find out what he wants from her."

"I don't think so," Damon refused and knocked back his glass of bourbon.

"Oh yes you will," Anna insisted. "It's basically your fault he's here."

"Yeah, my fault. Go figure…"

"Because you threw your vamp parties here before!" Anna hissed angrily. "You weren't exactly keeping a low profile."

"So what? John's not after me, right?"

"Damon!"

Damon groaned in frustration. "Okay, fine. I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks," Anna said, got up and left without another word.

Damon started to wonder what made him agree to it when suddenly his cell phone beeped. Lazily he looked at the display to see that he had received a text message from Elena. Knowing it couldn't get any worse he opened and read it.

It only contained two simple words but together they meant so much.

_I'm sorry.

* * *

_

_Damon saves the day^^ I already know how Elena is going to make up to him 3_

_Team Janna! I love them as much as Delena! And I definitely think Marchin' On is their song because of what I've planned for them..._

_The story is getting pretty intense now because John poses a threat not only to Damon and Stefan but to Pearl and Anna as well. As I told you I'll be going along with the plotline of the series for a while._

_By the way I've got something for my Spanish-speaking readers. I made another video with a Spanish song. It's called "Damon/Elena - No Tengas Miedo" and you can find it on YouTube. Enjoy!_

_Till later_

_Yours Asu  
_


	38. Dear Diary

_Here you go with another chapter by me. It's still the same night. Elena's writing in her diary. This chapter continues many journal entries actually. The majority are Isabol's. I think they are important. I've been missing them in the TV series, same as more information on Isabol and her life before she met Alaric. Don't you think it would be interesting to find out how she coped with her teenage pregnancy?_

**Chapter 38:**** Dear Diary**

_Dear Diary,_

_things are back to normal. Stefan and I got back together. We agreed to start over and see where that will lead us. I'm so relieved and happy._

_I just wish I could say the same about Damon. He did tell me wouldn't mind it but I could clearly see how much it's actually bothering him. I know so because he smashed his glass. Maybe he'd hoped I'd join his Anti-Stefan campaign which is ridiculous of course. I love Stefan and I really believe that this fight made us stronger. We might not be aware of it now but we will be later. After all jealousy only proves that someone means the world to you._

_But I really have to think of something that will make Damon happy. He's done so much for me. Especially recently he's turned into this charity guy which is definitely weird for him but also has its appeal. I couldn't believe my ears when Alaric told me that Damon had compelled the principal to not suspend me. He saved my future. I'm definitely going to make it up to him._

_So I'm starting over. With Stefan, with school and with my life. Maybe the down path was necessary. Maybe I was supposed to open my eyes and see certain things I was blind to and to change. After an experience like this you can't possibly stay the same person._

_I also feel stronger now which is absolutely an after-effect by my strike against Katherine. It wasn't a stake but I still got close enough to paralyze her with verveine. I wasn't scared of her, either. I talked back to her as if she wasn't a powerful, evil and dangerous 500 year old vampire._

_It also gives me hope. Hope that I'll be strong enough to stand up to her so that she will never get close to my first daughter. Either that or that I'll have enough strength to run and hide from her like Isabol did. _

_Speaking of her, since I found out that she never really wanted me I haven't dared to read more in her journal. But I don't want to be scared no more. I want to know what happened to her and I need to know if Katherine really is the reason why she isn't here with me now. And I think I deserve to know. After all I'm her daughter.

* * *

_

Elena closed her journal and put it aside. Then she opened the drawer of her bedside table and took out Isabol's journal. She hesitated for a moment. For all she knew Isabol's feelings toward her could be even worse then she already knew. A very strong grudge could have accumulated during the nine months of pregnancy.

Funny as it was she recalled a past conversation with Damon. Back then when she had come to apologize after getting the Grimoire without him. She'd asked him to trust her that she would help him get Katherine back, she had even taken off her verveine necklace to prove her point. And then he had said that Anna wouldn't stop no matter what he would do and she'd replied "Then we'll deal with it".

_No matter what Isabol wrote in her journal, I'll deal with it_, Elena thought grimly and opened the little book. She searched the entry she had read last and then skipped to the next one.

* * *

_October 31 1991_

_Dear Diary,_

_tonight's Halloween._

_And tonight I saw Katherine again! I wish I'd never met her all along._

_Now I know why she came to North Carolina. I ran into her at the mall, by chance, as I first thought but I couldn't have been more mistaken._

_I remember a conversation I had with my adoptive parents when I told them about Katherine. Back then they were startled by her name told me to avoid her. Apparently my real mother mentioned her when she gave birth to me, saying "Katherine mustn't get her." I couldn't figure out why she would say something like that. But now I know._

_Today I learnt that Katherine always wanted to have a child but never got the chance to have one because (that's the way she put it) 'her body wouldn't let her procreate'. I immediately realized that she is after my baby. I don't know how she found out I'm pregnant but the mere possibility is freaking me out._

_And there's something else that gives me the creeps. _

_Katherine doesn't look older than I am. And if my mother knew her… That means she didn't age in 16 years… That's impossible! How old is she?_

_I asked her and she answered "Much older than I look like", giving me one of her creepy smiles._

_All I know is that she will definitely not get my baby._

_The truth is, I'm growing attached to the little girl. I've been regularly seeing a doctor on the run and one of them told me that it's a girl. Sometimes I can feel her kicking me… I can't believe that I tried to kill her a month ago. How could I? I'm not a killer and she is the very last person who is to blame. I should've been safe with John. But I can't turn back time and I don't want to, either. Now she's with me and I treasure every minute with her._

_I wish I could keep her with me and raise her like a normal mother. But I can't. The encounter with Katherine today made me realize that. Running away was the best decision I ever made. I'll keep running until I find a place where I can see my daughter grow up and then I'll give her up for adoption. Someplace safe where Katherine won't find her.

* * *

_

A smile spread on Elena's lips. She'd known it. In the end her mother had loved her and wanted her to be safe. It was exactly like Elena had pictured it. Isabol had been on the run ever since she got pregnant. Then when she had delivered her, Elena, she'd returned home, and at some point married Alaric whom she had continued to hide with until she had met Damon who had redeemed her by turning her into a vampire. Of course that still didn't explain why Isabol hadn't come looking for her daughter ever since though but it was enough to make Elena happy. Actually she admired her mother's strength and endurance. She didn't know if she could run for that long. Still smiling proudly Elena turned the page and continued to read.

* * *

_24 December 1991_

_Dear Diary,_

_it's Christmas Eve. _

_It's been a while since I had a chance to write down what happened. Things are getting pretty intense and I think I'm going paranoid. Sometimes I could swear I see Katherine. I hope it's just my imagination because if she's really here all the running would have been for nothing. _

_We crossed the state line last month and now we're in a town which is called Charlottesville, I think, in Virginia. It's a beautiful place. It's remembers me a lot of North Carolina._

_I was so lucky. If it wasn't for the doctor who I went to see I would still be in the streets, freezing my butt off. I was worried about my girl. All the running can't be good for her. But the doctor told me she was perfectly healthy. After everything she had to endure… she's much stronger than I am. I feel like I'm breaking down soon. I have almost no strength left to continue. I got slow due to the pregnancy of course and I'm scared of not being able to run. I'm due in two months time, meaning I'd better rest from now on but how can I with Katherine on my trail. I have to make sure my baby is safe._

_Anyway, right now I can take a breath. The doctor took me home with him. I'm allowed to spend Christmas with him and his family. They are so kind. He and his wife have kids, too. A boy and a girl. Seeing them made me cry because I'll never be able to spend time with my girl._

_I'm allowed to stay here for as long as I want. The doctor wants to keep a close eye on me and the baby until I give birth. However, I'll leave on New Year. I have to keep moving, trying to get Katherine off my heels. I'll continue to run as long as I can._

_I'm running out of time. Due to the stress the doctor said I should prepare myself for a premature delivery. As much as I wanted to get rid of her a few months ago as much I'm hoping now she'll stay inside me a little longer. Not only because I haven't found a place for her but also because I'm not ready to say goodbye to her yet.

* * *

_

Elena looked up from the journal to bury her head in her hands. While reading she had begun to cry. Her mother had gone through so much to ensure her safety even disregarded her own health condition. Elena could almost imagine the pressure Isabol had to bear. Constantly running and hiding without knowing whether she was being followed by Katherine or not. It was only fair that everything went well in the end.

Elena wiped the tears away and started to read the next entry.

* * *

_February 6__ 1992_

_Dear Diary,_

_today's the day. Running and hiding is finally over because today I gave birth to my daughter._

_Last night I went into labor and only hours later I was holding her in my arms. God, she is so beautiful, my little darling…_

_On the run I've been thinking of names and in the end I called her Elena. It means 'the beaming one'. In that moment nothing could've described her better._

_I can't believe I lost her. It's two hours later and I'm still crying. My beautiful baby girl, we went through so much together. Will I ever see her again?_

_I called John a while ago to tell him that his daughter is healthy. He seemed to be glad although he doesn't want to accept fatherhood._

_Though it hurts like hell to let her go I'm sure Elena will have a wonderful childhood. Her parents, the Gilberts – I met them by chance – are as kind as the married couple I got to spent Christmas with, and as luck would have it, the man is a doctor, too. He didn't hesitate when I appeared on his doorstep, asking for help._

_It turned out the woman has been facing difficulties with getting pregnant and when I asked them to take care of Elena she burst into tears. At least someone is happy._

_I'm still here in Mystic Falls, that's the name of the town. I like it here. It's nice and quiet. I whish I could stay but it would be foolish. I have to move on. When Katherine finds out what I did she'll probably come for revenge. I have to lure her away from Mystic Falls, away from Elena. _

_So this is what I'm looking forward to. More years of running and hiding. Wonderful…_

_Maybe, just maybe, when I feel safe I'll be able to catch up with my life. Finish high school, maybe even go to college. I still have a life to live. Even if it feels like it ended the moment I handed Elena over. _

_Dad once told me that every pain gets better in time. That the wounds will heal eventually. I hope my pain will fade away soon, too.

* * *

_

The tears were running again. This was so sad. Elena felt deeply sorry for her mother and for never getting to know her. She was missing her without even knowing her. She wished she could just meet her someday and catch up with her. A family reunion was what she really craving.

Another sob escaped her lips when she thought that Isabol would never see her parents again because Katherine did not only kill Isabol's real parents but her adoptive parents as well.

How could the world be so cruel? Elena deeply regretted that she hadn't managed to kill Katherine on Friday night. That vampire bitch had ruined and killed so many lives. It had to end!

As she turned the page she swore she would stake Katherine – no matter the cost.

* * *

_Well, that's my version of how it happened. It's fiction of course and it probably went totally different. I still hope you enjoyed it._

_This will be another 3-parts chapter. I'll upload the second part tomorrow for you._


	39. I'll Take You On

_As promised, part 2 out of three. Some of you might already know what this chapter is about when looking at the lyrics. Dirtbag John makes an appearance. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 39****: I'll Take You On**

_Contemplating everything you ever said_

_Now I see the truth, I got a doubt_

_A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out_

_I won't give everything away_

_Conclusions manifest_

_Your first impression's got to be your very best_

_I see you're full of shit and that's alright_

_That's how you play, I guess you get through every night_

_Well now that's over_

_Back off I'll take you on_

_Headstrong to take on anyone_

_I know that you are wrong_

_T__his is not where you belong

* * *

_

The next morning Elena went tired to death to school. She had even asked Jeremy for a ride because she didn't thinks she was capable of driving. On her way to the locker she met Stefan, surprisingly accompanied by Damon.

"Hey," she greeted them both, kissed Stefan and turned to Damon then.

"You're coming back to school?"

"Oh no, I got enough for a whole century," he answered. "No, it was on my way. Gotta talk to the sheriff."

"Did anything happen?"

"No, we're reviewing the vampire situation. I'll bet my ass that it's gotten quieter since Katherine left."

"If she really is gone," Stefan chimed in.

"She definitely is. She took a quite a blow from out little one," Damon said grinning, playfully punching Elena's shoulder.

"It was nothing," Elena corrected. "I only defended myself."

"Anyway." Damon changed the subject. "What's with you staying up all night? I saw light in your room when I passed your house around three."

"I was reading and I forgot the time," Elena admitted. "I was reading in Isabol's journal. Turns out it happened like I said. She wrote it all down."

"Oh. Just out of curiosity did she mention me in there?"

"Only to the extent that she was going to meet you the other day but not why. Thanks for reminding me though," she replied sourly.

Damon smirked. "Before I forget, can I talk to you for a minute. In private?" he added suggestively.

"Damon," Stefan warned.

Both Damon and Elena ignored him.

"Sure," she agreed.

"Let the adult talk for minute, Stefan," Damon said to his brother. Elena found it rather mean to treat Stefan like a child just because he was turned with 17.

"Whatever," Stefan muttered and added to Elena "I'll meet you in class."

"Okay."

Stefan walked away and Elena gave Damon a reproachful look. "Was that really necessary?"

"Absolutely. I don't want him to find out about my little life saving mission. It would totally ruin my bad reputation."

Elena shook her head, smiling. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I finally figured it out."

"Figured _what_ out?"

"How you can make up to me."

"Okay, I'm listening."

Damon smirked again. "Another road trip. Just you and me. And I get to decide when and where."

"That's it?" Elena asked puzzled. "Just a road trip. Okay, I'm in. It's been a while. I'm looking forward to it."

She gave him a smile which he returned and then the bell rang. "Ah, I gotta go. Have fun with the sheriff and I guess I'll see you."

"Definitely," he assured her. "Have fun with Mr. Broody."

"That was mean!" she scolded him, already walking away before turning his back on him.

* * *

"Hey, Damon," Sheriff Forbes greeted him when they met in the hallway of the Watchers Council's office.

"Good morning Liz, how are things?" Damon inquired.

"Surprisingly the vampires have gotten real quiet. Just like someone told them we're watching the blood banks closer now," she reported.

"You think you have a spy in your team?"

"No, none of my men would conspire with a vampire. I'd vouch for each of them."

"Mmh. And the killings and missing persons reports?"

"Decreased as well. Miraculous isn't it?" John Gilbert joined in.

"Hey, John," Damon said slightly irritated before turning back to the sheriff. "They might've laid low for a while but once they feel secure they'll definitely return to the surface."

"Exactly. So you'll keep your eyes and ears open?" she asked.

"I will," Damon promised.

"Good. I've got to go. Even without the vampires I've got enough work to do."

She walked away, leaving Damon and John to deal with each other.

"Came to see me?" John inquired slyly.

"Why, yes, John, you're a genius," Damon mocked. "Can we talk somewhere?"

"My office is down the hallway," John replied, gesturing to follow him. He led him into a little room at the end of the hallway and closed the door.

"Became a resident, huh?" Damon said, taking the office in.

"I'm head of the council. Of course I have my own office. It's good you decided to drop by. I actually wanted to talk to you about something," John told him.

"Would you quit it already?" Damon groaned. "We may be partners for the public eye but there's not way we're working together." He paused a second. "Put your cards on the table, John. Why did you really come back to Mystic Falls? What's your business with this town? And don't say it's the vampires. There must be more."

"Blunt as always," John said. "You're right. How about a useful exchange of information."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Depends on the value of your information. What do you about Isabol and why do you know her at all?"

"That's not you asking isn't it?"

"No, it's just me. I'm curious."

"Well, Isabol and I share a neutral interest."

"Oh, really? What is it?" Damon inquired.

"The original Jonathan Gilbert had an invention that was stolen by a vampire. That vampire was then locked up in the tomb and the invention seemed to be lost forever. But then the tomb opened thanks to you which means the invention is retrievable."

"So… what is it?"

"Nothing important. I just want it back. Let's say I feel emotionally attached to it," John answered, pacing around. "And you're going to help me get it back if you want your secret safe."

"Forget it," Damon refused. "Neither do I have any interest in helping you get your heirloom back. Nor do I have any idea what you're talking about, let alone who has it."

"Oh, come on, Damon," John said, not buying anything from him. "You were around back then. You know who these people are and what they look like. I believe strongly you knew woman who turned out to be a vampire. Her name was Pearl. Does that ring a bell?"

Damon glared at him. "I'm not playing anymore, John. I'm serious. You can't possibly think I–"

John didn't seem to have expected anything else. "I'll tell the entire council what you are," he threatened.

Damon laughed darkly. "Go for it. I'll every last of them and then I'll sever your head, pull your ring off and kill you, too." John was silent. "I'm not joking," Damon added menacingly before he opened the door and left.

* * *

Jeremy and Anna happily received that their last period was cancelled due to the absence of their history teacher. Although Jeremy was a little worried because Alaric Saltzman was almost never absent.

"So… what are we gonna do with the afternoon?" Anna asked.

"Well," Jeremy said. "We've got two hours until Elena comes home which is not the common rule and three till Jenna. I can think of a thing or two," he added suggestively and Anna laughed. He relished the sound of her laughter. He was so glad she had stayed with him.

"You hungry?" he asked and then he quickly took it back. "Oh, sorry, I forgot."

"No problem. Actually vampires can eat human food," she told him.

"They can?" He was impressed. "So… you're hungry?" he repeated the question, grinning.

"Not really but I can't possibly let you starve," she replied, smiling.

"I'll make it quick," he promised as he pulled in at the Grill.

"Take your time."

* * *

They spent about an hour at the Grill and then headed for the Gilbert house. On the way there Anna received a call.

"Hello?"

"_Anna, this is Damon."_

"Where'd you get this number?" she demanded irritated. Jeremy looked at her questioningly but she ignored him.

"_Doesn't matter. I have it, deal with it. Anyway, I know what's John is up to."_

"Good. Spill."

"_Not on the phone. Where are you?"_

"We're on our way to Jeremy's. We'll be there any minute."

"_Okay, I'm coming over."_

With that Damon hung up and so did Anna.

"Damon has news about John," she informed Jeremy.

* * *

Damon was already waiting for them when they arrived.

"Let's get inside," Jeremy suggested, fiddling with the keys.

"Um–" Damon began.

"Jeremy knows," Anna told him simply. "We both heard John last night."

Damon nodded and followed everyone inside.

"You were right. John has some unfinished business with your mom."

"What is it?" Anna demanded while they were walking upstairs.

"Apparently Jonathan Gilbert had an invention and Pearl stole it from him."

"My mom didn't steal anything!" Anna objected angrily.

"That's his saying not mine."

"Be right back," Jeremy said. Excusing himself for the bathroom he passed Elena's bedroom and stopped dead when he glanced inside.

"Holy crap!"

"What's wrong?"

Anna and Damon joined him in the hallway.

"Oh, damn."

"Hurry, call Elena," Damon told Jeremy. "I'll call the sheriff."

* * *

_I love cliffhangers! At least when I'm writing them, sorry XD_

_Do you already know what happened? Share your guesses with me!^^_

_Later!_


	40. Need You Now

_Here you go with the last part. But before you start, I'd like to congratulate romancerevival and shadylady21. Both of you figured out the answer to my question as to what happened! And shadylady21 even knew why it happened. _

_Thanks to everyone else who shared his or her guess with me! _

_And now with further ado, the answer to the question and litte more in part 3! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 40:**** Need You Now**

"I wonder why Alaric couldn't teach. I saw him this morning." Elena said while she and Stefan were walking to the parking lot.

"Maybe he didn't feel well," Stefan suggested.

"Alaric _never_ doesn't feel well." Elena emphasized. "By the way, you didn't take your car to school, did you? Jeremy gave me a ride earlier."

"You're lucky," Stefan answered and led her to his car.

"I still don't know why you hid it in your garage for so long."

"Driving around with a show-off car is very Damon-ish," Stefan replied.

Elena laughed. "Good point."

"Do you want to come to the boarding house until dinner?"

"Sure, why not," she agreed smiling and got into the car.

Suddenly her cell phone rang. She took it out of her bag to see who was calling.

"Jeremy," she mumbled confused and answered the call. "Hey, what's up?"

_"Um, you should come home, sis. As fast as you can," _Jeremy added.

"Why? What's wrong?"

_"I'll tell you when you get here. Hurry."_

* * *

When Elena and Stefan arrived at the scene they ran into Damon, Jeremy and Anna.

"Damon? What are you doing here?" Elena asked.

"I came to talk to Anna."

"Now Sheriff Forbes stepped out of the house and toward them.

"Sheriff? What happened? Is anyone hurt?"

"Try anything," Damon muttered under his breath.

"No, everyone's fine," the sheriff told her. "But someone broke into your bedroom, apparently looking for something."

"What?"

"You should go upstairs and see if anything's missing."

Elena nodded and entered the house with everyone following her. She ran upstairs into her bedroom and gasped at the scene in front of her. It was perfectly obvious that someone had been looking for something. Everything was a mess. Her bed sheet and pillows were on the floor. Her wardrobe and every single drawer was open and their contents were on the floor as well. In-midst of the chaos forensic people were doing their job, probably looking for fingerprints.

"Um, excuse me… could I… sorry…" she mumbled while walking around them to the painting behind her bed. She pushed the painting aside to see if her own and Isabol's journal were still there.

They weren't.

"Anything missing?" Forbes inquired.

Elena took a deep breath before readjusting the painting and turning around.

"No," she lied as convincing as she could. "Everything is still at its place. Or in this room at least."

Her eyes were searching Stefan and Damon's, silently signaling them that she really needed to talk to them. To underline that she joined them in the hallway.

"Could you think of anyone who would want something from you? And more importantly anything that makes him or her break into your room to get it?" the sheriff interrogated her.

"No, I have no idea, sheriff," Elena lied. "It's not like I have any secrets." Like duh.

"We're done," the forensic people announced. "The burglar left no trace whatsoever. Must have been a professional."

"Thanks, guys. You can go home now," Forbes released them. "I'll leave, too. If something comes to your mind that might help investigate this case, call me." Elena nodded. "Oh, and you might want to talk to Alaric Saltzman. Someone broke into his house today, too. Might be the same culprit," she added before she left.

"What's missing?" Damon asked as soon as the sheriff was out of reach.

"The journals," Elena answered. She put her bed sheet and pillows back on the mattress and slumped onto it. "Mine and Isabol's."

"Do you have any idea who could've taken it?"

"No."

"It's gotta someone who knows that you write down all your secrets in it," Jeremy mused aloud. "Someone who knows that you know about the vampires."

"And that means someone's watching us," Anna added.

"But who?"

"Maybe Katherine never left," Stefan mumbled.

"No, it can't be her," Elena contradicted. "She already read Isabol's journal when she kidnapped me."

"Kidnapped?" Hadn't she told him she had just _met_ Katherine?

"Stefan, would you please shut up?" Elena spat, burying her head into her hands. "I'm trying to think."

"I think I know who it might be," Damon said hesitantly and looked at Jeremy and Anna. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, definitely," Jeremy agreed as though he was reading his thoughts.

"Would someone care to enlighten me?" Elena snapped.

"Did you know that your uncle's been kicking it with the founder's council?" Damon asked.

"What? Great, I'll just add it to the list of how everything's falling apart."

"He knows Isabol," Damon continued. "He basically knows everything from 1864 to now."

"How? Who told him? And how does he know my mother?" Elena inquired.

"That's for us to find out. But there's more."

"I'm gonna go call my mother," Anna said and left the room.

"What else do you know?" Elena asked.

"You ancestor Jonathan Gilbert had an invention and the last person who was known to have it was Pearl."

"Pearl? How does he know Pearl?"

"I think he read Jonathan's journal like I did," Jeremy said.

Elena nodded. "What kind of invention?"

"He wouldn't tell me," Damon answered. "But considering that Pearl took it and he wants it… I suppose it's something vampire-related."

"Figures…"

Anna rejoined them now. "Alright. Mom knows about the invention. She wants to talk to you about it, Damon. I'll take you to her."

He nodded. "You'll be okay?" he asked Elena.

"Yeah. I… I think I'll go see Alaric," she said and turning to Stefan she added. "Can you give me a ride?"

"Sure."

All of them left the room and went downstairs.

"Jer, you better stay here. I think Jenna will come home soon. Sheriff Forbes probably called her."

He nodded and kissed Anna goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said before following everyone else outside.

* * *

When they got to Alaric's later that evening they found a man standing in the middle of the road, perfectly still and gazing intently at them.

"I have a message for you," he declared to Elena.

"What?" she asked confused.

"Stop looking for her."

"She doesn't want to know you. She doesn't want to talk to you."

It took Elena some time to figure out who he was referring to.

"Isabol?"

"Stop looking for her," he repeated more firmly now. "Do you understand?"

"Did you steal the journals? Do you know where she is?"

"Elena, he's under compulsion," Stefan warned.

"Do you understand?" the man repeated once more.

"Yes," Elena replied. "I do."

"Good," the man said and looked further up the street at an approaching truck. "I'm done now."

And with that he stepped into the truck's way and got run over with full force. Elena screamed, averting her eyes and burying her face into the Stefan's chest.

When the truck came to a stop they ran over to the man. While Stefan checked if he could be saved Elena spotted a cell phone lying on the ground and took it without Stefan's notice.

* * *

"Nice," Damon commented when they reached the house Pearl and Anna were living in.

"One word about our whereabouts and I'll kill you," Pearl threatened, stepping outside.

"You haven't changed one bit," Damon observed.

"Neither have you," Pearl replied. "Anna tells me you're looking for something I took from Jonathan Gilbert."

"Right. Do you still have it?"

Silent, Pearl extended her arm and opened her palm. A little bag was lying in it. Damon took it, opened it and took out something that looked like a golden pocket watch.

"What is it?" Damon inquired turning it in his hand.

"Jonathan was passionate about his inventions. He confided in me that he had created a detection device meant to track down the town's vampire element," Pearl told him."

"This is a pocket watch," Damon said skeptically.

"That's what it turned out to be, yes," Pearl continued. "But that's not what I stole. I discovered my mistake when I saw the watch in Jonathan's hand the night they took us. Its dial pointed at me."

Damon took another look at the object in his hands. "So if this isn't the detection device, then what is it?"

"I have no idea," Pearl answered truthfully. "But now it's yours."

"Where's the catch?" Damon demanded suspiciously.

Pearl smiled. "There's no catch," she stated simply. "With John Gilbert knowing about us I'd rather leave but… my daughter wants to stay here and I, too, want to stay here." Damon was silent, patiently waiting for her to go on. "Now our lives are in your hands, Damon. No matter what it is, if John Gilbert wants it, it can't be good."

Damon nodded, promising without a word that he would keep the device from John by any means.

* * *

Elena was still shaken when she returned home. After all it wasn't part of her daily routine to see someone commit suicide before your face. She couldn't get the man's last words out of her head. They didn't make any sense to her. Why wouldn't Isabol want to know and talk to her?

_

* * *

Reaching__' for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore_

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind_

_For me it happens all the time_

* * *

She let her gaze wander to the cell phone she had taken with her. After hesitating for a moment she grabbed it and checked it for recent calls. There had been some. Always the same number.

Now she wanted to know and she hit the call button. Excited she welcomed the dialing tone and waited for someone to answer the call.

_

* * *

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now_

_Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now_

_And I don't know how I can do without_

_I just need you now_

_

* * *

"Was there a problem?"_

Elena felt her heart stop. She was listening to a woman's voice. Her mind was racing. Was this Isabol, her birth mother? She was too scared to say anything. Instead she waited for the woman to speak again and she did.

_"Did you find her? What's going on?"_

Had Isabol been looking for her?

"Isabol?" Elena said hopefully.

The call was immediately terminated by the woman at the other end and Elena felt sure that she had just heard her mother's voice for the very first time.

* * *

_Now I won't tell you who stole the journals. Could have been anyone right? John..., the messenger guy..., Jeremy maybe?_

_You'll get the answer to this question in two chapters from now. So keep reading. It will definitely get interesting!_

_P.S 40 chapters! I can't believe it! It's my longest fanfic ever! Thank you so much for encouraging me to keep on writing! Love you all! _


	41. The Quest Part 1

_I'd actually planned to take a break after four chapters in a row... but then all these ideas started to flash through my mind and I couldn't help but write them down. You should try it, too. Plan a break and maybe the same thing will happen to you XD_

_Alright now to the chapter. As you can tell from the title this chapter was too long again and once more I had to split it into several parts. I think it will be three. In this part a surprise is waiting for Elena and Team Bad Ass (Damon & Alaric) spend some quality time together. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 41:**** The Quest (Part 1)**

Elena Gilbert preferred to Saturdays over every other day of the week because it was the only day she wouldn't have to get up early. Monday to Friday was school and on Sunday mornings they went to the church bun on Saturdays she could sleep in later without anyone disturbing her.

That however didn't apply for today…

With a loud bang the door of Elena's bedroom burst open and crashed against the wall. The noise immediately woke her up.

"What the–"

Her voice drowned in Jenna's loud and absolute annoying childish squealing.

"It's here! It's here!" she told her excitedly.

"What's here?" Elena asked tired, trying to open her eyes. And then she saw the big envelope in Jenna's hand. Her eyes shot open and she squealed herself. "Oh my god is it?" she asked and jumped out of bed to snatch the mail from Jenna.

"What's going on with you guys," a tired Jeremy groaned, joining them.

"Elena got into Richmond!" Jenna announced happily.

"It's not official yet," Elena reminded her.

"Big envelope means you got in," Jenna insisted.

"Or it means they are kind enough to send you your stuff back," Jeremy said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh shut up," Jenna said and then turned back to Elena. "What are you waiting for? Open it already!"

Elena couldn't help but notice that Jenna was much more excited than she was. She rolled her eyes and opened the envelope. It contained a folder and a smaller envelope. Elena was prepared for the worst when she opened the smaller envelope and unfolded the letter within.

And then she squealed again much to discomfort of Jeremy who was covering his ears.

"'We're happy to tell you that we hereby accept you as one of the participants of our annual summer program.'"

"I knew it!" Jenna said and hugged her.

"Congrats," Jeremy said, smiling.

"Thanks, but… I didn't remember applying there," Elena replied confused.

"Of course you applied there, silly. There's no acceptance without an application," Jenna said. "I'm gonna make us breakfast."

She left the room and Elena met Jeremy's gaze.

"I swear I didn't apply," she told him.

"Well, I definitely didn't do it for you. But I would ask your two friends if I were you. Wouldn't be surprised if they did it for you," he said and left her alone.

* * *

Damon was upstairs in his bedroom, reading his favorite novel Call of the Wild by Jack London. It had been a Saturday routine that he would get up, feed and then read a book. He didn't like it if someone disturbed his routine but he couldn't prevent it from happening, either. Like today.

He frowned when he heard a car approach the boarding house. He looked out of the window to see who it was and was surprised to find out that it was Elena who had decided to pay them a visit so early.

Dropping the book he rushed downstairs into the parlor where Stefan was reading, too.

"Elena's coming," he informed him.

"When?"

"In three… two… one…"

"The front door opened noisily and Elena stormed inside.

"Hey, early bird," Damon greeted her. "Or rather angry hen," he corrected himself when he sensed the mood she was in.

"You!" she shouted angrily. "Who of you did it?"

"Did what?" Stefan asked calmly. "What are you talking about?"

"Who of you rummaged around in my trash? Ever heard of privacy?"

"What?"

"One of you must've fished my college application out of the trash, finished it and sent it off," Elena jogged their memory.

"I didn't," Stefan defended himself but Damon's voice was louder.

"I did it," he admitted casually.

"Why did you do it?" Elena demanded.

"It was the day you found out that they plan to suspend you and that Katherine killed Isabol's parents.

"So?"

"So, considering the state you were in and the fact that you put in the trash I guessed you didn't think you were able to finish it. So I did it for you. I filled out the form, wrote the essay and sent it off. You shouldn't put off your future just because your present sucks," he added shrugging.

Elena was speechless. Damon did it? Damon who cared about no one else but himself had helped her out? Once again he had saved her future. She owed him big time.

Overjoyed she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much, Damon! I so owe you."

"You bet you do," Damon replied, grinning. He was still recovering from her sudden move when he hugged her back. "So I suppose you got in?"

"Yeah, I did," Elena told them beaming.

"Congratulations, Elena," Stefan said. "After everything you've been through you really deserve it."

"Thank you," She hugged him quickly. "I gotta go. Caroline wants to do something and Jenna booked a table at the Grill tonight to celebrate with Jer and me. I'll see you tomorrow or something." She walked to the door but turned around again.

"I won't forget this, Damon," she said before leaving.

"Have a nice day, honey!" Damon called after her, mostly to annoy Stefan.

The door closed and Damon smirked. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Stefan fuming. He bit back a laugh.

"Should've known you wouldn't go back to college," his little brother muttered.

"Do a good deed every day," Damon sang, ascending the stairs.

And he could feel Stefan's glare following him upstairs. He entered his bedroom to get back to reading but was once again disturbed. This time by his ringing cell phone.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, it's Alaric Saltzman."_

"Before I hang up how did you get this number?" Damon inquired.

_"That's a mystery. Listen, I have some news about John, you interested?"_

He was definitely interested. "Go on."

_"An old friend from Duke University who studied Criminology has become a very proficient digger. So I had him run a track on John's cell records. He was getting a call from a number that's the same number Elena dialed to get Isabol and then the number was disconnected."_

"John knows Isabol. We already knew that," Damon reminded him.

_"Right. Well, after that he started getting calls from a new number and me friend ran a Go Track. I got the address. It's an apartment in Grove Hill."_

"Isabol's in Grove Hill?" Damon asked surprised.

_"I don't know. I thought we could take a look and see what we can find."_

Now the teacher had Damon's full attention. "Perfect. Give me the address."

_"Oh so you can go without me? No, I don't think so."_

"I'm not going with you," Damon refused. "You tried to kill me."

_"Yeah, well, so did you,"_ Alaric argued.

"Fine, you drive. When?"

_"After lunch?"_

"Whatever. Pick me up at 2."

_"Done,"_ Alaric said and Damon hung up.

* * *

"I'm really glad we hang out again," Caroline said, taking a sip of her soda. "This thing between Bonnie and you really sucks."

Elena was used to her bluntness so she didn't say anything. "Any chance that the two of you will make up soon?"

"I don't think so," Elena answered sadly. "We see each other at school but we don't talk."

"What happened? I asked Bonnie before but she wouldn't tell me which is really sad. We used to share everything."

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you, Caroline," Elena apologized.

"Not you, too," the blond whined. "You don't need to give me details, keep it general. I promise I won't say anything."

Elena sighed. "General, huh?" Yeah, she could be general. "Okay, it's like this. Damon was said to have done something really bad. I believed what someone else had told me and shared it with Bonnie. But Damon wouldn't leave me alone. You know how persistent he can be."

"Oh, yeah…" Caroline agreed.

"At some point I decided to hear Damon out which was only fair because he is my friend. Damon told his version of the story and I believed him. Bonnie got mad at me for trusting Damon again and ever since then we haven't said a word to each other," Elena finished.

"Well, that's bad," Caroline commented. "Can't you find a witness for what he is supposed to have done?"

"No, the only person who can tell is the person that is involved in the matter and she disappeared right after that. But no matter what everyone says I still believe Damon and if can't accept it, I'm sorry about it but I can't change it."

Caroline nodded and took another sip of her soda. "So you and Damon, huh?"

"What?" Elena laughed. "No, there's no 'me and Damon'. We bonded a bit when Stefan out of town or being a jerk but that's all. We're just friends."

"No 'maybe in the future'?" Caroline kept on asking.

"No, definitely not. I'm with Stefan as you know well," Elena reminded her.

"So what?" Caroline commented, grinning.

Elena smiled faintly, shaking her head. "So, how are things with you and Matt?"

"Great," Caroline answered smiling.

"I lost track, how long have you been together?"

"Six months in two weeks. The day of Prom," Caroline added, still smiling. "Have you bought your dress yet?"

"Uh, no. I'm not going to Prom," Elena told her.

"What? But everyone's going," Caroline pointed out.

"I know but Prom doesn't seem important right now. Besides, it's just Junior Prom…"

"Prom is very important," Caroline insisted. "What are you gonna do if you're not going to Prom? Sit at home and brood? No way! Come on, let's go," she said now and got up.

"Go where?" Elena asked confused as she got up, too.

"We're gonna find you a dress for Prom," Caroline announced and dragged her out of the Grill.

* * *

"We're here," Alaric said when they reached the apartment. "The records showed that someone paid for three months in advance."

"This is where it gets tricky," Damon mumbled as they stepped on the front porch. "I may or may not be able to get in." He knocked.

"You always have to be invited in?"

Damon nodded. "By the owner or a person of entitlement. Short term rentals and hotels are a bit of a grey area. You kind of got to play it by ear." He stepped forward to open the door since no one had answered the knock

"I heard about your means. So could we please not kill anyone tonight?" the teacher asked.

"Sorry, can't promise that," Damon turned his request down. He unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Then he let Alaric get in first while he checked if someone was watching them.

"Doesn't look like anybody's home," Saltzman whispered. After all there was no light turned on.

Damon meanwhile had other problems. He still didn't know if he was able to enter. Carefully he lifted his feet over the threshold and smirked when he couldn't feel any barrier.

"Ha! I'm good." He closed the door. "No permanent resident, apparently."

They took a look around. Due to the fact that he was able to get in Damon considered the possibility that a vampire had rented the apartment. So he opened the refrigerator to check.

Bingo. It contained several bags of blood.

"Uh… Ric… we have company."

And suddenly a vampire using supernatural speed lunged at Alaric and Alaric hit him with his brass knuckles in the stomach. The vampire held his breath for a second before attacking again. Damon who had been watching from afar now decided to step in.

"Boys, boys, boys, that's enough," he said, stepping between them. He took a closer look at the young vampire in front of him and recognized him. "I know you."

And the vampire remembered him, too.

"Damon?"

"Your name's Henry. You were in the tomb."

"Yes, sir," Henry confirmed. "What are you doing here?"

That was a very good question, indeed. Damon looked at Alaric for help but he couldn't come up with an excuse, either.

* * *

_You recognized that last part, didn't you? I rewatched that episode for the dialogues and I couldn't help but think: "How can be a vampire so goddam stupid and tell them everything?" What an idiot..._

_Yay, Elena got into the summer program! And Damon got a hug *_* By the way, the Delena time isn't over yet. Wait for the evening to come :)_

_Caroline can be so annoying sometimes . But it's good that she keeps asking about Damon ;)_

_Till tomorrow when I'll upload the next part!_


	42. The Quest Part 2

_Omg, did you see the trailer they presented at Comic Con? I'm so excited! Can't wait for September 9! _

_I was really amused when I saw that the plotline for Season 2 included something I have planned for this fanfic. ;)_

_Enjoy part 2 of this chapter!_

**

* * *

Chapter 42: The Quest (Part 2)**

_Here I stand to find the truth_

_and for ought I know_

_No, the more I try_

_The more confusion on my mind_

_And no matter how I try_

_I feel my eyes seem to stay blind_

_You're in quest for more to find the core_

_Your journey still ain't over_

_Your quest is your purpose, go on_

_You're in quest for more to find the core

* * *

_

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of it," Elena said unnerved after they had tried twenty different dresses. "I can just wear the dress I wore at the pageant."

"No, absolutely not," Caroline refused. "You can't wear the same dress twice. God, what happened to you? Shopping with you used to be way more fun," she pouted.

"I'm sorry," Elena apologized. She felt bad for ruining their time together so she picked the next dress herself.

"How about velvet?"

In the same moment Caroline had picked a pompous, light-green dress. Elena remembered Stefan telling her that Katherine used to wear dresses like that.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no light-green," she rejected.

"Okay, try the velvet one then," Caroline said.

So she did and she liked it at once. Now it just had to pass Caroline's test, meaning her opinion was all that mattered in the end.

"Oh my god, it's so beautiful!" Caroline exclaimed. "And it looks so good on you. I would have never seen you in velvet but here you go. It really suits you. You must buy it!"

Elena sighed in relief.

She changed back into tshirt and jeans and then they walked to the cash desk.

"So have already made plans for the Founder's Day parade?" Elena asked while they were waiting for their turn.

"Oh yeah, glad you ask," Caroline chirped. "This year we'll go for Gone with the Wind. The dresses are amazing."

"Gone with the Wind, huh?" Elena said, little excited. But it wasn't her call to make. Caroline was head of the committee after all.

"I really like your dress," Caroline pointed out. "Damon will be totally goggling you."

"Mmm," Elena replied, not really paying attention to what Caroline was talking about but then reality hit her hard. "What? Damon?"

"He's clearly into you," Caroline told her. "I saw how he looked at you when he met you in school. And back then at the pageant… you two together are better than any of my soaps. There's so much chemistry between you–"

"Caroline?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry but shut up."

"I'm just saying," Caroline said.

"Yeah and I appreciate that you have an opinion on that matter but honestly there is no matter. I'm with Stefan and it pretty much looks like I'll always be with him," Elena retorted.

"Okay, okay, I got it," Caroline replied. "Geez, I didn't know you were so edgy on that."

Elena sighed. "I'm sorry, but I just don't want to discuss anything I really don't see happening for a good reason."

"Next please," the cashier now said. Elena welcomed the short distraction and put her dress on the desk.

* * *

Meanwhile Pearl entered the Grill to meet up with John Gilbert. She didn't know what had made her agree to that. Maybe she just wanted to stick it to him, maybe she hoped to get more information out of him. After all she was a vampire with several centuries on him.

John was already waiting for her at a table.

"Hello, Mr. Gilbert," she greeted him and took a seat.

"Pearl. It's a pleasure. I'm glad you made it. Though I must admit, I'm surprised that you came."

Whatever the case Pearl was not going to blow her cover, pretending she didn't know anything about his plans.

"Jenna tells me that you wanted to discuss the sale of the building in person."

"Still revealing yourself to me like this was quite a risk."

Pearl scoffed. "I'm not stupid, Mr. Gilbert. You know who I was when you requested the meeting." John nodded. Pearl decided to start her offensive. What had she got to lose? "So Damon tells me that you're looking for the device I took from Jonathan." John nodded again, a little taken aback about her offensive approach. "I'm sure you realize," Pearl went on. "that I have no intention of giving it to you."

"That's why I wanted to meet you. I'm planning on changing your mind."

"Really?" Pearl said. "How so?"

John smiled. "With my Gilbert charm. I know that you have a weakness for it. May I buy you a drink?"

Pearl was silent but John signaled the waiter to come over anyway.

* * *

At the other end town Anna was just filling Jeremy in on the news and he was repeating them to make sure he understood everything.

"So your mom was in love with Jonathan Gilbert and he betrayed her?" Anna confirmed it. "And now my uncle John wants this invention-device thing that she gave to Damon."

"That's pretty much it," Anna affirmed.

Jeremy remembered something. "Look, I asked John about the journal and he told me there were more of them. So that's how he knows everything."

Anna sighed. "Do we have to talk about this all night? I've told you everything." She leaned in seductively and kissed him, twice. "I probably shouldn't have because it'll get both of us in a lot of trouble," she concluded, emphasizing the word in a sing-song voice.

Jeremy grinned. He put his arms around her and rolled her over. Now he was hovering above her. "I'm not gonna say anything."

Anna smiled faintly. "Your uncle wants us dead."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do, he's a hater, Jeremy."

"And I'm not?"

Her smile got brighter as she stroke his cheek. "No, you're something else entirely."

Now Jeremy smiled, too. "Yeah? What would that be?"

Anna hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should completely open up to him. But when she looked into his deep, brown eyes she knew that aside from her mother, Jeremy was the only person she could trust completely.

"A weakness," she finally revealed to him. She looked at him, waiting for him to reply but he never did. Instead he leant down and started to kiss her passionately. And she kissed him back with the same passion.

* * *

"So?" Henry asked after a while. "How do you know John Gilbert?"

"Oh, I've known him for years. He's a good friend," Damon lied naturally. "How do you know him?"

"I met him right after I got out of the tomb," Henry told them. "He's been helping me out."

"Helping you out how?" Alaric inquired.

"Adapting," Henry answered. "It's a whole new world. Cars… computers… match dot com … There's so much to learn. He helped me get this place."

"So you live here alone?" Alaric wanted to know. "Or is there someone else here?"

Henry got nervous as Damon could tell so he quickly opened his mouth to calm him.

"Sorry, that's my friend very passive-aggressive way of asking questions. Um do you know a woman named Isabol?"

"Uh no. No I don't know an Isabol," Henry answered. "I know John. He's my only real friend. He really showed me the ropes. How to use a microwave, separate my whites…"

"What else do you do for him?" Again Alaric in his passive-aggressive way.

"I keep an eye on things," Henry told them. "You know, with the others."

Damon exchanged a glance with Alaric. "The others?"

"From the tomb." Damon's eyes widened. He had thought he and Elena had scared them off when they had played Van Helsing. "They're still pissed off at the founding families for trying to burn them alive." Damon and Alaric's features darkened. "Hey, I'm cool," the young vampire defended himself. "But those tomb boys, they want revenge."

"What does John want with them?" the history teacher demanded.

"He's just keeping an eye an them, you know? Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble." Alaric met Damon's gaze. Like duh.

"Well, it's John," Damon said like John was his best buddy. "He's such a do-gooder." He just couldn't help but grin at this extreme, euphemistic image that Henry had of John.

Suddenly a cell phone rang. It turned out it was Henry's. The young vampire took it out of his pocket and glanced that the display.

"What a coincidence, it's John," he said amused.

Damon quickly walked over to him. "Oh, hey, hey, let me talk to him. Alright?"

"Yeah, sure."

Damon took the cell phone but didn't make any attempt to answer the call.

Gradually Henry became suspicious. "Are you gonna answer that?"

Damon passed the question to Alaric. "Am I gonna answer that?"

Behind Henry's back Alaric shook his head. Henry looked from one to the other. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly and when Damon didn't answer he vamped out and turned to leave but Alaric stopped him. Damon blocked is way from the front and then Alaric drove a stake through Henry's heart. When they let go of him Alaric was breathing hard and Damon was mocking him as usually. He patted his shoulder and repeated his words from earlier. "Let's not kill anyone tonight. Your words. Just pointing that out."

Alaric glared at him.

* * *

Back at the Grill John returned to their table and sat down.

"My apologies."

"No apologies necessary," Pearl replied politely. "So tell me Mr. Gilbert. Why would I let you have the device?"

She knew she was giving him a cue and John immediately went along with it.

"Because I can help you. I'm connected around here. The town's council is eating out of my hand. They do whatever I say. And I know that you just want to live your life completed with a white, picket fence and I can help you do that."

"But the device doesn't work. Why would you even want it?" Pearl inquired.

"It's a family heirloom. Call me sentimental," John answered.

Pearl smirked. And if that didn't unnerve him, her next move definitely did. Slowly she got up and got her coat on. "I gave it to Damon," she dropped casually while doing that.

"What?"

"I gave your device to Damon," Pearl repeated loud and clearly. "Why don't you ask him for yourself? I'm sure he'll be delighted to give it to you and then Mr. Gilbert may you rot in hell," she added and left the Grill.

Furious, John watched her walking away, slowly realizing that she had played him from the beginning.

* * *

At a rental apartment in Grove Hill… While Damon helped himself with blood Alaric walked around to see if he could find anything about his wife.

"Find anything yet?"

"No, I looked everywhere. The place is clean," Alaric said and took a seat in the armchair in the living room.

"Well, I found this behind the blood in the fridge," Damon said and threw a beer to him.

Alaric opened it, sighing. "Oh man, this is really dead-end."

"I wouldn't work myself up over it now," Damon replied, grabbed a chair, turned it with the back to Alaric and sat down, taking a sip. "What did you think you were going to find, huh? Isabol with cigars and slippers?"

Alaric started laughing. "Oh man," he groaned. "I… I've gotta stop this. I can't keep searching for her."

"Really? After only two years. That's actually moderately healthy."

"How long have you been searching? 146?"

"Yeah, next month it would be that long but fortunately I was smart enough to get out after 145. I used to think the 200 mark would be a good stopping point."

Alaric laughed again. "I mean, no answer is enough. I keep thinking I want to know why and well, the precise moment my wife decided life with me wasn't enough."

"I liked your wife," Damon said. "She was smart. She had this excitement in her eyes. Maybe I should've cared more about her. Find a possible line to Katherine. And not just exchange blood with her like she asked me, too."

"That's enough, Damon," Alaric interrupted his sermon. "I don't want to hear anymore. I just don't want to waste any more of my life searching for answers I really don't want to know. Even if that maniac vampire is involved. I mean why didn't she show up after she became a vampire? Which must be the case if Elena talked to her. You gave her blood, you left and somehow after that she died, what made her become a vampire," the teacher babbled on. Damon simply nodded. He couldn't think of any other way.

"I'm through with Isabol," Alaric announced. "I'm done with all of this. I'm starting over."

Damon just couldn't stop himself. "With Jenna?"

That caught the teacher off-guard. "What? How do–"

"Intensified eyes-sight," Damon reminded him, smirking.

Half-amused, Alaric shook his head and got up. "I'm going home. You coming?"

"Mmm," Damon said and got up, too.

* * *

After spending some time with Jeremy Anna went home and was surprised to find her mother in a hurry, packing her things.

"What's the matter?" Anna asked worriedly.

"We're leaving, " Pearl announced.

"What? No!" Anna protested.

"I was wrong to think we could make a home here. It's time for us to move on."

"I don't want to leave. I want to stay."

"We can't stay. There's too many people who know about us."

"So you're just gonna give up?" Anna asked incredulously.

"It's not safe here. You know it," Pearl insisted. Anna begged her to say and Pearl knew why. "It's about Jeremy, right?"

"No," Anna corrected. "It's about me finally getting to build a life for myself. Please, Mama."

"You gave me my life back. I'm just trying to protect yours," Pearl told her. She sighed. "I can't force you. It's your decision."

"What made you decide?" Anna inquired.

"John knows that Damon has the device."

"What?"

"He asked me to meet him and I lost it. I'm sorry. Do you understand now why we have to leave?"

Anna nodded.

* * *

_A few annotations... I hope you didn't forget that I changed the whole Isabol plotline a little bit. My version was that they had planned this blood exchange and making Isabol a vampire but in the end Damon left after taking what he wanted without giving. He gave her blood but he didn't kill her and Isabol didn't know that dying was necessary to become to a vampire. So there's a whole mystery yet to be solved. How did Isabol die and become a vampire? More to that later on. _

_Haha, even Caroline noticed that there's chemistry between Damon and Elena ;) At some point Elena won't be able to deny it any longer._

_And I changed the meeting between Pearl and John a litte bit to point out that John really has a reason to kill her. He's mad at her of course, not only for giving the device to Damon but also for playing him. _

_Now you probably know what comes next. But.. no, there's one part left that will include something that didn't happen in the series. So you have something new to look forward to. But give me a litte more time. About two days to write and upload that. _

_Yours Asu  
_


	43. Real Life Fairytale

_I'm so sorry for the delay! I had a block -.- and I don't even understand why. I knew what was going to happen in this chapter but I just couln't find the words. But now here you go, Delena time 3 Enjoy!_**  


* * *

**

**Chapter 43:**** Real Life Fairytale**

_When you passed out, I felt dead_

_And I realized you make me live_

_And when my world starts to cave in, you jump inside and take my hand_

_No matter where, you are there_

_I see the world through different eyes_

_I look at you by my side_

_No matter where, you're always there_

_You are my light, _

_Y__ou are my star,_

_Y__ou are my sunshine and my dark_

_A real life fairytale

* * *

_

Around eight that evening Elena and her family entered the Grill and were then guided to their table by Matt.

"So is there anything to celebrate?" Matt asked after taking their orders. "You guys never come here together."

"I got into the Richmond summer program," Elena told him.

"That's great. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Elena said smiling. "But don't tell Caroline before she gets hers. I don't want her to be upset."

"You got it," Matt replied. "Be right back with your drinks."

"How come Caroline didn't get hers already?" Jenna wanted to know. "Yours was already later."

"Caroline applied for a different department. I don't know about their deadlines," Elena answered. _Or it might be the fact that her essay didn't impress everyone like yours did since she didn't have her essay written by a smart vampire who, after several years of college and many applications knows exactly what those people like to read_, Elena added silently to herself.

She was happy she got accepted but she still thought she should have done it herself. Somehow it felt like cheating no matter how much she deserved it. But then it would be ungrateful toward Damon. So she would just accept the way it went down and give her best during the summer.

They had a calm family night with dinner until eight when someone they knew very well decided to drop by for a drink.

"Look who's here," Jeremy said to Elena, jerking his head toward the bar.

In that moment Damon, smirking as usual, turned around to them and raised his glass mouthing "Cheers!"

"Oh, I can't believe it," Elena groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Talk about Fate," Jenna mumbled. "The two of you always seem to be at the same place at the same time."

"It's not Fate," Elena corrected irritated. "He knew I'd be here with you tonight."

"Even better. He intentionally came here for you. What are you waiting for, honey? Waltz over and say hi."

"He can wait. Tonight it was supposed to be just the three of us."

"Shut up and go," Jeremy said now. "Your distance flirting is starting to annoy me."

Elena laughed. "What distance flirting?" Again like countless times before Damon casually looked over his shoulder at her, winking.

"Fine, I'll go." Elena got up and walked over to Damon. "What are you doing here, Damon?" she inquired without further ado.

"Hey, honey, nice of you to stop by," Damon said smirking. "Here, have a seat," she added, patting the stool next to him.

So she did and then she repeated her question. "What are you doing here?"

"Drinking." Plain and simple. Typical Damon.

"You could've just gone to the bar down the street."

"Nah, I'd rather be here," Damon waved it off. "I like the ambience." Elena shook her head, smiling faintly. "So," Damon continued. "Since you are here and you are here I feel like treating you. So whatever you choose, I'll pay for it."

"I can't accept that. Not after you helped me get into the program."

"If I recall it correctly it was you who had said you were going to celebrate," Damon reminded her. "So let's celebrate I got in."

Elena laughed. "You?"

"I wrote the essay, didn't I?" Damon did his eye thing to her, smirking.

"Yeah, do you actually have a copy for me? I'd really like to read it."

"Oh no. It was bad."

"It got me in right?" Elena pointed out.

"Right. Which leads back to where we were," Damon said. "Come on, order something."

"Okay," Elena gave in, turning to the bartender. "I'll have water."

Suddenly Damon groaned and grimaced while gesturing to the bartender to wait.

"What?" Elena asked.

"A water? Are you kidding me?"

"Not a water?" Damon shook his head violently. "Okay, a soda then." Damon grimaced even more and Elena laughed. "A beer?" she asked him, smiling and Damon's face lit up.

"Beer's a good start. Make that two," he told he bartender.

"Can Jenna see that I'm drinking?" Elena inquired nervously. She didn't want to Jenna to think of her as irresponsible.

"Wait, let me check," Damon said. He pretended to turn around but instead he moved closer to her, leaning in with his hand on her right shoulder. "No, now she can't."

Elena held her breath when his face was only inches away. Their cheeks were almost touching and she quickly took a big sip of her beer, hoping it would help her calm down. It's Caroline's fault, she told herself. Because she had assumed that Damon might have a thing for her. She took another sip.

Damon chuckled. "Easy, you'll choke on it." And she did. She coughed hard. Damon patted her back. That however didn't help at all but actually made it worse. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," she croaked.

"What's wrong? You seem to be on edge," Damon observed.

"I'm not on edge. Just really thirsty," Elena lied and took another sip.

* * *

"I don't think she'll come back," Jeremy remarked, watching his sister fooling around with Damon.

"Neither do I," Jenna agreed.

Ten minutes later the next person they knew very well entered the Grill and walked straight over to their table.

"Good evening, you two," Saltzman greeted them friendly. "May I?" he added and pointed at the vacant chair Elena had occupied before.

"Of course, have a seat," Jenna invited him to join them.

The two adults were having a good time while Jeremy was silent, occasionally listening to their conversation. At nine he was on the brink of dying of boredom and announced to leave.

"Already?" Jenna said, apparently genuinely disappointed.

"Yeah. Elena's got Damon. You guys have each other. So I'm gonna go and ask my girlfriend if she wants to hang out with me, too. You guys have fun," he added smiling and left.

Jenna and Alaric looked at each other and chuckled.

"I tend to forget how old they are," Jenna admitted. "I wasn't born a legal guardian. Sometimes I have no clue what I'm doing."

"I think you're doing well," Alaric assured her, giving her a smile which she returned.

* * *

"Now look at this. I knew it," Damon said, after he had seen Alaric with Jenna.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked and followed his gaze. "They've been together all the time, didn't you know?"

"I did but apparently he didn't."

"What?"

"I think I witnessed the teacher having a midlife crisis today," Damon told her.

"What? When? Did you hang out together? What did you do?" Elena bombarded him with questions.

"Nothing," Damon evaded. "So, you're ready to get this party started? To party like grown-ups?"

"You mean Atlanta part II? No, not a good idea," Elena waved it off.

"You still owe me," he reminded her.

"Oh come on, you can't be serious. Me getting drunk can't make up for–"

"Come on, do it for me." He bat his eyelashes at her. "You were so much fun in Atlanta."

"Fine," Elena replied. "I hope you didn't piss off another vampire recently. I don't think I can save your sorry ass again tonight."

"You won't have to. I was a really good boy. God, my reputation is so ruined," Damon said, feigning dismay.

Elena chuckled while Damon ordered two shots.

"To you, Miss Gilbert," he said, raising his glass.

"To me? Whatever," Elena mumbled, clinked glasses with him and knocked the liquid back. Then she shook and gasped slightly before ordering two more shots.

"To you, Damon Salvatore," she honored Damon.

"Wow, you're the first woman who's dedicating her drink to me. I'm flattered," Damon replied, raising his brows flirtatiously.

Elena giggled and drunk up. "You know this is definitely our thing. DDR."

"What's that?" Damon asked grinning.

"Drinking, dancing, roadtrips." Elena explained.

"I absolutely agree to this," Damon commented and dedicated their next round to their thing, the DDR.

They continued this another hour. After a while they became aware of that Jenna and Alaric had left without their notice but it only encouraged them to go on. The only one left to object (since Damon had compelled the bartender even before Elena had joined him at the bar) was Matt who was watching them disapprovingly while he was serving people. Elena didn't miss his penetrating gazes.

"Waiter friend at 5 ó clock," she whispered to Damon but as she was speaking Matt was walking over to them to switch with the bartender.

Unfortunately Elena had had at least one too many shots to refrain from giggling idiotically.

"Hey, Matt, what's up?" she asked her ex-boyfriend who gave her a glare.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it?" he tried to knock some reason into her.

"That's nothing. You should've seen her in Atlanta," Damon said and Elena smacked him for sharing this with Matt.

"I think I can imagine it," Matt retorted.

"Oh, calm down, Matt. I'm fine," Elena assured him. "You know how high my tolerance is."

"Yeah, I do. But that's it now. Closing time," Matt replied and refused to serve them any more.

Damon opened his mouth to make him serve them more but Elena stopped him.

"It's okay. It's late anyway. I should probably go home."

Damon shrugged, took out his wallet and paid for their drinks. Elena bade goodnight to Matt, reassuring him that she would be alright. Then they left the Grill. Once they were outside Elena started to stumble.

"Looks like my tolerance is lower tonight," she admitted after Damon had caught her.

"Seems so," he agreed and scooped her up in his arms.

"What are you doing? Put me down!" Elena demanded.

"You just won a free vampire taxi ride," he told her. "I'll take you home. Close your eyes or you might get dizzy."

"Okay," she said, putting her arms around his neck and snuggling closer to him.

Damon was about to speed off but hesitated.

"Oh, and no screaming, please. My ears are very sensitive, you know?"

"Okay."

* * *

And then he rushed off with vampire-speed all the way to her house. They entered through her bedroom window in order not to wake anyone and then Damon gently put her down on her bed where she opened her eyes.

"Oh, we're already here," she giggled surprised.

"We are," Damon confirmed. "You know, you should probably get some sleep now. Though that won't save you from the massive hangover in the morning, either. I'll call you, okay?"

"Whatever," Elena yawned, already drifting off to sleep.

"Sleep tight," Damon said and then he left.

Elena smiled, rolled on her side and fell asleep.

* * *

Damon's prediction turned out real the next morning. Elena woke up with a massive hangover and by her ringing cell phone.

"Oh god…" she groaned. She should have turned that damn thing off last night. The noise was making her squirm. She didn't even bother to see who was calling before answering.

"Yeah…?"

"_Good morning, sunshine,"_ Damon's voice greeted her chirpily.

"Stop calling me that."

"_Well, aren't you the beaming one? And last night you were definitely beaming."_

"I shouldn't have told you that." Elena regretted that she couldn't keep her mouth shut when she was drunk. "Damon, I have a hangover. So whatever it is why you're calling please make it quick and then leave me the hell–"

"_I told you so."_ Through the phone she could hear him chuckle.

"If you're just gonna mock me, hang up please. I'm not in the mood."

"_Sorry."_ That sounded completely genuine.

"Can vampire get a hangover?" she asked him.

"_No, we can't. That's one of the advantages. We can't die from alcoholism, 'cause we're already dead of course. You know, you should read Anne Rice. That woman's really on it. It's all in her books."_

"Maybe she's one herself," Elena suggested. She was starting to believe that everything was possible.

"_No, she's not but she must know one who's giving her all that info. I'll lend you my copy if you like."_

"Thanks but I'd rather learn from the living, I mean, none-living example," Elena replied smiling.

"_Me? Ah, I don't think you should learn anything from me. I'm not the best influence."_

"True."

They chuckled.

"_I know a few good recipes for hangovers though. I could come over and make you a shake,"_ Damon offered.

"No, thanks. I'll just have an aspirin and get some more sleep. That'll do."

"_As you wish."_

"Listen, uh, could you please not tell Stefan about this?" she asked sheepishly.

"_I see, good girl Elena doesn't want Mr. Perfect to know about her dark side. Don't you worry, you're dirty little secret's safe with me."_

"Thanks… Bye, Damon."

"_Bye, sunshine."_

Elena hung up and put her cell phone back on the bedside table. Before going back to sleep she decided to go downstairs and take an aspirin. When she entered the kitchen to get a glass of water it wasn't empty. Jeremy was sitting there, having breakfast.

"Mornin," she mumbled.

"Morning. Hangover?" Jeremy asked grinning.

"Mmm-hmm."

"I guess you can thank me for that," he said. "After you went to party with Damon Alaric showed up and then I left."

"I noticed you were all gone at some point… later," Elena recalled. "Is Jenna up yet?"

"No, she didn't come home last night. I guess she's with Alaric," Jeremy answered.

"Oh. And you were with Anna, right?" she said smiling.

"No, I wasn't," Jeremy replied and got up to put his dishes into the dishwasher. "I was here… alone."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It's actually weird, you know," Jeremy went on. "She isn't answering any of my calls or messages. She's completely ignoring me like we had a fight or something, except that we didn't."

"Mmh, did something else happen? Did you piss off or embarrass her or–"

"No, nothing like that happened," Jeremy contradicted. "But I had this strange dream."

"Of course, you were probably preoccupied–"

"No, I had this dream yesterday before we left. I took a nap after she left."

"What kind of dream?"

"It was weird. It felt like a dream and reality were mixed up," Jeremy told her. "I was lying in bed, half-awake and there she was. Talking to me but I didn't understand the meaning of what she told me but I remember one thing." Elena looked expectantly at him. "And that's goodbye."

* * *

_Well, we all know why Anna doesn't get in touch. She's too shocked or pissed or whatever. But she'll come back in the next chapter. _

_Elena's getting nervous around Damon, isn't that a good sign? XD_

_So, I guess you know what comes next. Bad-Ass Mom comes to Mystic Falls. By the way did you notice that the women that left the guys hanging for years always come back when the guys are about to get over them? I mean, Alaric announced he's through with Isabol and then - bam! - she shows up. Or Damon tells Isabol to tell Katherine that the bitch should come and get it (the device) herself. The fact that he calls Katherine a bitch really got me thinking that he was starting to get over her and then the next episode she comes back. Poor guys...  
_

_Later!_

_P.S I do know what DDR originally stands for. If anyone of you has a problem with me taking this abbreviation for Delena's thing just tell me and I'll switch the letter order.  
_


	44. Closer To You

_Okay, I'll warn you. It's... LONG! I wanted the chapter after this one to be no. 45 so I had to squeeze everything around Isobel into this chapter. I hope you don't mind and won't give up before you've finished reading... The chapter also contains many direct quotes from the corresponding episode. I rewrote some things so that it isn't that boring. Enjoy!_**  


* * *

**

**Chapter 44:**** Closer To You**

_As you walk my way_

_Do you see my face?_

_Sad behind a smile_

_Fake it for awhile_

_Tell me what should I do?_

_Can I get closer to you?_

_Tell me the truth_

_Can I get an answer from you?_

_Show me a sign_

_Here I stand with my heart in my hands_

_And all I do to get closer to you

* * *

_

It was Friday night. School was over for this year. Tomorrow night was Prom so he wouldn't have to teach until the beginning of September. He would have a lot of free time… to do what he liked but also to do some research. On the device Elena had told him John was after and… on his wife.

Truth be told, he couldn't just stop searching for her. Theoretically yes, but not in practice. Not after he had found out that she was alive. She wasn't gone from this world. He could still talk to her and that was what he wanted to do. He wanted to see her and talk to her. He probably wouldn't like the answers he would receive but he wanted them no matter what. So he could he finally move on…

"Hello, _Ric_," an all too familiar voice greeted him and Alaric froze. Slowly he turned his head to the side and was shocked to find no one else but his wife sitting next to him.

"Isobel," he croaked.

"It's good to see you, Alaric," Isobel said smiling. "You look good." Alaric simply stared at her, contemplating if this was real of if he might have drunk too much. "I hear you're a history teacher at the local high school. How is that?"

Alaric shook his head in disbelief. "Where've you been, Isobel?"

"I don't have any reasons that would make sense to you as to why I left or explanations that are gonna satisfy you. I wanted this."

"Is that so?" Alaric asked.

"Yeah. You were supposed to mourn me and move on," she explained.

"You're my wife and I loved you. How could I not search for you?" he said sadly.

"Because I wasn't lost, Ric." He nodded and averted his gaze. Isobel took a pen and wrote something on a piece of paper. "I know you know my daughter Elena. Apparently she's been looking for me. So…" She got up and passed the piece of paper to him. "I want you to arrange a meeting with me. "

Alaric didn't even look at the message he was supposed to deliver. He met Isobel's gaze with icy eyes.

"Screw you, you selfish bitch," he said and left the Grill.

He went straight to his car, hoping that ignoring Isobel who was following him would do but it didn't. She attacked him, pinning him against the car and bared her teeth.

"You will do as I say," she ordered menacingly. "Or I'll kill the town's citizens starting with your history students, do you understand?"

She let go of him and left without another word.

* * *

As he had no choice Alaric asked Elena and Stefan to meet him in his classroom the next morning. The teachers and students were at school to decorate the halls for the upcoming Prom. The last person who joined them was Damon.

"So, what's up?" he asked everyone after he noticed that they weren't in a good mood.

"I met Isobel last night," Alaric said.

"What? Isobel's here?" Alaric nodded. "Why did she come? Because of John? Are they working together?"

"No, I mean I don't know if that's the reason she came."

"Does she know about the invention?"

"Didn't ask."

"Did words completely escape you?" Damon said annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions," Alaric replied irritated.

"What does she want?" Damon asked.

"She wants to see me, Damon," Elena told him.

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting," Stefan explained. "We don't know why and what she wants."

Damon looked at Elena with concern and a trace of empathy in his eyes. "You don't have to see her if you don't want to."

Elena sighed. "I don't know if I want to see her or not. Alaric said she'd changed. That she's cold and brutal… But I don't really have a choice."

"She threatened to go on a killing spree," Alaric said.

"Oh…"

"But part of me does want to meet her. I want to form my own opinion. If I don't I'll forever regret it."

She could see that all of them had rather she wouldn't met Isobel. They were worried about her. But she had to do it. She couldn't let anyone get hurt.

* * *

Her mind was made up and so she went to the Grill where she was supposed to meet her birth mother. At least she wasn't alone. She was glad Isobel had chosen a public place. Plus, Stefan was with her, connected to her via a microphone that was pinned on her clothes, hidden under her hair. She was nervous so she started to talk to him, holding his gaze until a person stepped into her view and sat down opposite of her.

Isobel had arrived. Elena held her breath, eying her mother from head to toe. Her appearance hadn't changed much since the time that only picture she had of her had been taken. She looked exactly like she had described herself in her journal.

"Hello, Elena," Isobel greeted her with false friendliness. "God, you look just like her, still today. It's eerie."

"Wait, you met Katherine?"

"She found me after I turned. I suppose I never really got rid of her but you know that, right?" Isobel answered, took out a book and put it on the table. It was Elena's journal.

"You had it?" Elena burst out.

"I think it's only fair to read yours after you read mine. I just got back what's mine."

"You left it with Alaric."

"Yes, but for everyone to read."

"I'm your daughter," Elena pointed out angrily.

"I know," Isobel replied calmly. "Now we're even. You know my secrets and I know yours."

"I don't know everything about you," Elena clarified. "What happened to you after you met Damon? Did you stay with Katherine since then? And who's my father?"

"Not important," Isobel waved it off. "He was teenage waste of space."

"I don't care. I want to know him. What's his family name?" Elena demanded.

"You should hold yourself back a little. You do ask a lot of questions. We're drifting off–"

Elena ignored her remark. "Why did you compel that man to kill himself after he delivered your message?"

"I had to get rid of him. He was done. I just wished his efforts would've been more effective."

Elena swallowed hard. Alaric had been right. She was cold. "Human life means that little to you?"

"Means nothing to me." Isobel gave her a cold smile. "It's being part of what I am."

"That's not true. Not all vampires are like this."

"You mean your boyfriend over there by the pool table? You clearly don't have my taste. Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon? Or do you enjoy them both like Katherine did?"

Indignantly Elena opened her mouth but no sound escaped it. She was speechless.

* * *

"We should be with her!" Damon said strained. Ever since he and Alaric had seen Isobel enter the Grill which they were observing from the distance Damon had been pacing around, not keeping his mouth shut about that it was wrong to let Elena get so close to Isobel without enough back-up.

"Isobel's orders were clear," Alaric reminded him. "She wants to meet her alone. Posting Stefan inside is already the grey area. And could you please you please stop pacing? You're driving me crazy!" the teacher added irritated. "You'll stay here."

It's not like I'm gonna kill her in a restaurant in front of a bunch of people," Damon said.

"You're not going inside. Period. And you're not gonna kill her."

"Why not? Don't you want her dead?" Damon asked. "She ruined your life. You still want to protect her?"

"Yes, I do," Saltzman answered. "She's my wife." Damon gave him a look. "Was… She was my wife. I looked for the one I married but she wasn't there. She was replaced by that monster that looks like her. Now she's cold and… unattached."

"Humph. Of course she is. She's a vampire. She's given up her humanity."

"That's the part I don't get," Saltzman said. "Stefan has his humanity." Damon rolled his eyes and looked away. "He's a good guy. What did you do to yours? Locked it up under a Swiss bank account number?"

Damon sighed. "Something like that."

"Even though you're a dick and you kill people I still see something human in you," Alaric went on. Damon looked at him, his brows furrowed. "But with her it's just… there's nothing," Alaric concluded sadly.

"You can turn it off," Damon explained. "Like a button you can press. It's actually very easy. I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of How I Met Your Mother. The problem is as a vampire your instinct is not to feel. Isobel chose the easier road. No guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

"You haven't," Alaric reminded him.

"Of course I have, _Ric_. That's why everybody loves me," Damon replied and resumed observing the Grill.

* * *

"Why did you want to meet me?" Elena asked Isobel. "Definitely not to catch up."

"That's not true," I'm curious about you," Isobel contradicted. "But the real reason is I want what your uncle wants. Jonathan Gilbert's invention."

"How do you know my uncle?"

"John had a crush on me for years. He was the first one who told me about vampires."

A terrible hunch was emerging in Elena's head. Could John Gilbert be her father? The person named John who Isobel mentioned in her journal? She quickly pushed that though aside.

"What made you want to be a vampire?"

"It's a very long list of reason, Elena. All of which I'm sure you thought about considering you're in a relationship with a vampire." Elena shook her head. "It's inevitable. You get old. Stefan won't. Forever doesn't last very long when you're human."

Elena's world was breaking down before her eyes. So Isobel hadn't chosen to become a vampire to be safe from Katherine's wrath but because she had been seeking power? She seemed to get along well with Katherine, too. It was time for Elena to leave. She needed to get out of there.

"I'm sorry but I don't have what you're looking for," she told Isobel and wanted to get up but Isobel grabbed her arm and forced her back on her chair.

"I know you don't," she said. "But we both know who does. You're going to get it for me."

"Or what?" Elena challenged.

"Or this town's population will decrease dramatically," Isobel threatened and got up. "It was nice meeting you, Elena," she added before the left the Grill.

Elena stared after her. Tears were welling up in her eyes. The moment Isobel exited Bonnie entered. Their gazes met and Bonnie seemed to make a step toward her but then Stefan appeared at Elena's side and Bonnie left. Elena turned to Stefan and buried her face into his chest, sobbing.

* * *

If Damon knew one thing then that he knew how to collect information. Earlier that day he had seen John Gilbert. He had looked nervous because he had constantly turned around to see if someone was following him. Damon of course had followed him… to a mansion on the outskirts of town. There he had waited for John to leave the building again which he did some minutes later with Isobel. As he wasn't in the mood to follow either of them wherever Damon had stayed, taken a look around in the mansion and then waited for Isobel to return which she did after an hour.

"Ah, Isobel. Good to see you," Damon greeted her.

"Did you bring the device?"

Damon ignored her question and posed one himself. "I found your mansion when I was following John Gilbert. What are you doing with him?"

While he was talking to her he applied his flirty little tricks and she went along with her own. They wouldn't have slept together if they hadn't found each other attractive.

"We dated when we were teenagers. He was a little bit in love with me," Isobel answered.

"Of course," Damon said, caressing her face. "So… what do you want with the device?"

"Personally, I don't want anything with it. I'm just getting it for someone else. But don't worry, Damon," she answered, leaning in seductively. "We're on the same side."

"And what side is that?" Damon inquired, teasing her.

"Katherine's. She wants John to have the device. John failed that's why she sent me. You know you can't control her. She does what she wants and she always gets what she wants."

"So do I," Damon said and kissed her hard, just to confuse her. Once her guard was down he pinned her to the ground, choking her a little. "Now that I have your attention, listen up. You do not come into my town and threaten the people I care about. Going after Elena? Making her cry? Bad move. You leave her alone or I'll rip you to bits, got it? And if Katherine wants something from me tell that little bitch to come get it herself."

With that Damon let go of Isobel and left.

* * *

After the meeting Elena went home. She needed to be alone to think about what had just happened at the Grill and what she was going to do.

Not long after she got home the doorbell rang. On her way to the front door she wondered who it was because Jenna was still working and everyone else was still at school, doing the preparations for Prom and the Founder's Day parade the next day.

She opened the door and was surprised to find Bonnie standing in front of her.

"Bonnie," Elena whispered weakly and her eyes were watering again.

"I know you're upset about something and… I'm here for you," Bonnie said.

Elena couldn't contain herself anymore. The tears were now streaming uncontrollably down her face. Bonnie stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"What's wrong Elena? What happened?"

When Elena had calmed down she told Bonnie everything. That she had just met her evil mother. That she only came back to get the mystery device her uncle wanted… Bonnie then suggested checking the Grimoire for any information about the invention. Elena agreed gratefully. And they were lucky. Emily had indeed mentionsed the device in her book.

"Here we go. According to Emily Jonathan's devices were useless. They only worked in the end because she placed a spell on them."

"So what does this thing now?" Elena inquired.

Bonnie read a little more and gasped. " Are you sure this is what Isobel wants?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's a weapon… against vampires."

* * *

Once they knew that they immediately went back to school. Elena told Bonnie to wait in the classroom and then went looking for Stefan. She found him eventually but couldn't get to him because Isobel appeared out of nowhere.

"Isobel, what are you doing here?" Elena asked a little stressed out.

"I'm your mother. I want to be more involved in your life," Isobel answered and Elena knew she was lying.

"You don't know anything about my life."

"Oh, I do, Elena. I'll prove it to you," Isobel said. "For one thing I know who your friends are because I've been observing all of you for a while now. Over there is your little witchy friend Bonnie. And there's Caroline. She's really dumb. She told me everything I needed to know. Over here's Matt, your ex. Lots of connections there."

"Fine you know my friends but that's nothing. Excuse me, I gotta go and you should, too," Elena retorted and started walking away but Isobel's next words made her freeze.

"I hope you remember my words from earlier. I want the device or…"

Suddenly someone pressed the metal plate the boys in Elena's class had been working down and it crushed and clamped Matt's arm. Elena gasped in horror. "Stop it, please!"

"The man who just crushed Mattie's arm is my friend and he does everything I tell him to do. Hurt your friends… kidnap your brother…"

Frantically Elena spun around, looking for her brother.

"Jeremy? Jeremy!"

"I want the device," Isobel repeated.

"Damon won't give it to me," Elena replied desperately.

"Oh yes, he will."

"He'll kill you before giving it up."

"Is that before or after I kill your brother Jeremy?" Isobel said and vanished.

* * *

Together with Stefan Elena entered the classroom where Bonnie was already waiting for them.

"Where's the device now?" she asked at once.

"Damon has it. It's gonna be difficult to get it," Stefan answered.

Elena was frantically pacing around. Her brother had been kidnapped by Isobel who had made herself very clear. If Isobel wouldn't get the device soon Jeremy would die.

"We'll… we'll go to him. I'll talk to him," Elena said.

"He's not gonna hand it over, especially not if it's harmful to vampires," Stefan pointed out.

"What if it's not?" Elena asked looking at Bonnie who nodded.

* * *

Jeremy had definitely imagined this day differently. He still hadn't heard anything from Anna who seemed to have disappeared without a trace and then he had gotten kidnapped by some creepy vampire woman named Isabol who he knew was Elena's real mother.

And as if that wasn't enough his uncle who was apparently working with Isobel had appeared the next moment and ended up being held hostage as well. At least he wasn't alone…

"What's she after?" Jeremy asked when Isobel had left.

"Something your ancestor invented. A device that's extremely harmful to vampires. We've been trying to get it."

"Why?"

"Because the vampires are evil and pose a threat to this town. We have to destroy them," John answered.

"Not all vampires are bad," Jeremy objected.

"You mean your girlfriend Anna?" John replied. "Yes, they are. All of them. Sometimes we don't think so because they fooled us well."

"I don't believe that," Jeremy refused.

"Well, your dad did," John said. "And he wouldn't want you to get involved with them."

"Dad knew about vampires?"

"Why do you think he kept Jonathan's journal?" John replied.

* * *

Elena had called Damon on his cell and asked him to meet them at the boarding house. There they told him they needed the device in exchange for Jeremy.

"Absolutely not," Damon refused.

"Just hear me out," Elena begged.

"I'm not gonna give the device to Isabol who will give it to John who will turn and kill me. I like being a living dead person."

"Bonnie can take its power off," Elena argued.

"I can remove the original spell," Bonnie confirmed.

Damon huffed. "No. No, I'll get Jeremy my own way."

"Really, Damon?" Stefan said. "Dead or alive?"

"We're doing this, Damon," Elena declared.

"I don't trust her. She still blames me for her grandmother's death."

"But you can trust me, Damon," Elena insisted and added "Please."

Damon was torn. She was asking him to trust her with his vampire life which was huge. Those pleading eyes didn't accept any objections, either…

After a minute of hesitation Damon sighed, took the device out of his pocket and put it into Elena's open palm. He grabbed her hand firmly and his piercing gaze said "I'm trusting you."

Elena said thank you and passed the device to Bonnie who started her magic.

* * *

When Bonnie was done Elena went to meet Isobel, accompanied by Stefan and Damon. Isobel appeared out of nowhere, immediately demanding the device.

"Where's my brother?" Elena inquired.

"Home."

"You're lying."

"God, call him, then," Isobel groaned. "But hurry, I don't have much time."

That was what Elena did. She called home and talked to Jeremy who confirmed that he was safe. Relieved Elena hung up.

"I know you wouldn't hurt him," she said to Isobel.

"No, I would've killed him," Isobel corrected.

"You took a risk with Damon," Elena replied. "How did you know he was going to give it to me?"

Isobel huffed. "Because he's in love with you."

Silence. Dead, unnerving and meaningful silence followed her statement. Elena glanced over at Damon who glanced over at his brother who was standing next to him and looked like he had just been slapped in the face. Elena waited for a snorty remark by Damon that denied this completely ridiculous assumption… but it never came.

Elena couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore so she slammed the device into Isobel's palm.

"As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm you're doomed," Isabol went on. "Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine. Goodbye, Elena," she added before disappearing into the night.

Elena stared at the point where she had vanished, shaking her head in disbelief. Stefan walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Elena glanced over his shoulder at Damon who seemed to be taken aback, before burying her face into Stefan's chest. She didn't even notice Damon walking away…

They could hear teenage voices from the distance. She had been right all along. She wouldn't got to Prom tonight…

* * *

Elena wasn't the only one who wasn't attending Prom. Neither was Alaric. After seeing his wife for the first time in two years he had needed a drink so much like now. So he stepped outside and closed the front door. Then he turned around and stopped dead in his tracks when he found Isobel standing only a few feet away from him.

"So, got what you wanted?" Alaric asked. Isobel nodded. "And now?"

"Now I'm saying goodbye."

"I don't need to say to say goodbye to you. My wife didn't return last night."

Isobel let her gaze wander around, letting it linger on the school building in the distance. "I'm glad you found something here. I know you're a good teacher."

"What the hell are you doing?" Alaric asked annoyed. "One moment you act like you don't care and the next _you're glad I found something here_?"

"You hate me. Good," Isobel said.

"Does that make it for you? Why bother?"

"After years of searching me what did you expect you would find?" Isobel asked.

"The woman I married. The woman who gave me this," he said sadly, holding up his ring. "You cared enough to protect after you left."

"I was a different person back then," Isabol argued.

"And that person's is gone, of course," Alaric replied. "The woman I married, the woman I loved just gone? You really expect me to believe that?" Isobel was silent. He threw his ring over to her and she caught it puzzled. He also took the vervaine he had hidden in his pocket out and dropped it. "I'm ring-free and vervaine-free. So either you kill me or compel me because… I don't believe it… not for a second."

Isobel hesitated for a second, indecisive about what she should do. Finally she walked over to him and stroked his face while staring into his eyes. He didn't leave her any choice. She had to compel him.

"I wanted this. And I'm gonna regret it forever. It wasn't your mistake but mine. You're not gonna remember I was here. All you know is that even if I'm gone I loved you. Your hearts free of me as of now. You are free to start over. It's easier that way. Goodbye, Ric."

Isobel finished the compulsion and slipped his ring back on his finger. She kissed his cheek and then she walked away… out of his life again.

* * *

After the shock Damon helped himself with the mini bar. He had a couple of drinks before Stefan came home. He didn't look happy. Rather as unnerved as Damon was. The difference between them was that Damon could hide his emotions whereas Stefan could not.

"What's on your mind, little brother? Just spill," Damon encouraged him.

"About what Isobel said… Well, I know you and Elena bonded while I was gone or out of it. And I know she cares about you and you uh, care about her." Damon smiled, patiently waiting for his brother to go on. "I'm just concerned about Elena getting hurt. She considers you as a friend."

"Same here," Damon agreed. "Elena's a very good friend. Actually… she's my only friend. Is that a problem?"

"History will not repeat itself where Elena is concerned, right?"

Damon was still smirking. "Sure, sure."

But Stefan wouldn't let it go. He stepped closer to Damon, threatening him now. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" he said emphatically.

"Yeah, whatever," Damon replied, walking over from him. "We're friends. And as her boyfriend it's better if you tell her the truth anyway."

"What truth?" Stefan asked.

"John. Isobel. Hello? Am I the only one who can put two and two together?"

"You mean John's Elena's father? How would you know?"

"Call it a… pretty good hunch. And I know how well you deal with these big bombshells. She'd rather hear it from you." He walked toward the stairs but turned around once more. "Oh, and when you do tell Elena and she needs a friend to talk about anything, I'm here for her."

Damon enjoyed the look on Stefan's face and walked upstairs. He entered his bedroom, closed the door and slumped on his bed.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation he could still pretend that Isobel had lied to cause a stir. And anyway he wasn't sure of the truthfulness of her words, either. Up to that moment he would have never thought about his feelings toward Elena but now he would have to thanks to Isobel. He should've killed her all along.

* * *

Jeremy decided to go to bed early today. He had just heard Elena coming home and the last thing he needed after having been kidnapped was her endless rattling about how sorry she was. He was fine after all.

He stepped out of the bathroom and turned off the light. In that moment something appeared in his room.

It was Anna. She was standing by the window.

"Anna, where've you been?" he asked and then he noticed that she was crying. "What's wrong?"

"My mother," Anna told him. "She was killed."

"Oh my God," Jeremy said. "I'm so sorry."

"I know I'm not supposed to be here," Anna sobbed. "But… I don't have anywhere else to go."

Jeremy walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's okay," he told her. "You can stay here. For as long as you want. I'll be with you."

* * *

_Thank you to everyone who made it this far to read my little author's note at the end!^^_

_Founders Day is approaching very fast. In fact the next chapter will be all about it. And then, I'll include my own ideas. Finally! I have some more ideas how the story could go on. I will probably introduce a new character, too (someone the writers of TVD don't think is important enough to be part of the story). It's a he!^^ So you may look forward to chaos, a new character and Delena of course!_


	45. This Is War

_Again, I'm sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter. Sometimes it happens that I have a writer's block for a week or so and then suddenly my muse comes back to inspire. I'm glad it happened today because I still have so much planned for this fan fiction. _

_I tried to include as little quotes as possible. Sometimes I just couldn't rephrase it but I think I did a decent job this time. _

_There's something else I should problably tell you. I included one of my one shots in this chapter because it just fitted in. And I'll include some of my other TVD one shots, too. So don't be surprised to recognize parts of the story. _

_And now enjoy!_**  


* * *

**

**Chapter 45: This Is War**

_A warning to people, the good and the e__vil_

_This is w__ar_

_To the soldier, the civilian, t__he martyr, the victim_

_This__ is war_

_It__'s the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_It's the moment to live and the moment to die_

_The moment to fight_

_I believe in nothing, not the end and not the start_

_I believe in nothing, not the earth and not the stars_

_I believe in nothing, not the day and not the dark_

_I believe in nothing, but the beating of our hearts _

_I believe in nothing, 100 suns until we part_

_I believe in nothing, not in Satan not in god_

_I believe in nothing, not in peace and not in war_

_I believe in nothing, but the truth of who we are

* * *

_

Actually Elena had been looking forward to Founders Day and its parade. It was her favourite holiday aside from Christmas. This year it would be the first and only time that she would be actually be a part of the procession. As a founding family member she would stand on the float together with Caroline Forbes and Tina Fell and wave to the audience.

And she never wanted to go less.

Her mind was still occupied with Isobel and it would surely take some more time until she had digested that.

And secondly she didn't want to go because she didn't like Caroline's costume choice. The dresses were too tight and the hairstyles too classy. She looked into the mirror not to see herself but Katherine. Katherine Pierce from head to toe. It was disgusting how much she resembled her on the outside. Usually she could conceal it with her own personal style but today it was impossible to hide. She could just hope that the parade would be over soon.

She wasn't the only one who was shocked by her looks. Earlier she had walked around, looking for the Salvatore brothers and found them eventually in a heated discussion. But when they had spotted her they had fallen silent. They had stared at her, jaws dropped and obviously shocked, especially Damon. And she was standing with Stefan on the float and waved at everyone.

* * *

Her prayer was answered two hours later when the parade was over and she could change into something more decent. Relieved she entered the Grill. She was looking for Jeremy because she hadn't seen him at the parade. She was lucky. Jeremy was sitting at a table, pecking at his food. She wanted to walk over to him but before she could do so she had to deal with Damon who suddenly stepped into her way.

Actually she wanted to ignore him but he didn't let her.

"Hey," he greeted her. "Did someone take the wind out of your sails?" he mocked. "Where'd princess go? Oh, wait, let me guess. Gone with the wind, huh?"

Elena's brows furrowed. "Is that an insult?"

"No, quite the contrary. I like you better like this," Damon answered.

Elena smiled. Against her better judgement his compliment made her feel flattered and she found it difficult to tell him that she wasn't interested in him. She didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Look, um, Stefan feels uncomfortable about our… friendship."

"I know. So what?" Damon replied. Now _he_ was feeling uncomfortable. What was she driving at? Was she going to end their friendship? If that happened he made a mental to note to really kill Isobel.

"I think you should stop, um, flirting with me and that eye thing that you do."

Damon smirked at her. "What eye thing?" And then he did again. Elena glared at him and his smirk faded away. "Okay, I got it."

"Thanks," she said. "See you later." She walked past him and over to her brother. "Hey, Jer. What's up? I didn't see you at the parade."

"I wasn't there," Jeremy told her curtly.

"Why not?"

"It just didn't seem important."

"What do you mean? What's wrong, Jer? You know we can always talk about everything."

He got up. "I know but I don't want to, okay? Just leave me alone, please."

And with that he walked out of the Grill. However he didn't have his peace and quiet yet.

"Hey!" Someone was calling after him but he ignored it. "Hey!" Using vampire speed Damon rushed past him and stopped him.

"What?" Jeremy snapped.

"Whoa, calm down. I just want to ask you something," Damon said, raising his hands.

"Spill."

"Have you heard something from Anna?" Damon asked. "I haven't seen her or Pearl for a while now. I thought something might've happened to them and then I figured you'd be the first to know."

"No, I don't know anything. If you hear something let me know," Jeremy answered and resumed walking.

He felt miserable. He hated lying at his sister and at Damon. The truth was he knew what had happened. The image of him holding the crying Anna in his arms was still as vivid in his head as the conversation he had had with her this morning.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_Jeremy was just getting dressed for the parade when Anna appeared in his bedroom._

"_Hey, look at you. I like it," she said, grinning._

"_Really? Too bad you're not a founding family member, too. I'd like to see you in those dresses," Jeremy replied._

"_Oh no, I'm happy we don't have to wear those anymore. Besides I won't stay for the parade."_

"_Wait, you're leaving?" Jeremy asked surprised._

"_Yes," she answered. "I can't stay here any longer, Jeremy. If I do it'll mean my death. Your uncle won't stop until I'm dead. So… this is goodbye. Unless…" she added airily._

"_Unless what?"_

"_Unless you come with me," Anna suggested. "I could turn you."_

"_Anna…" Jeremy began but she cut him off._

"_I know you, Jeremy. What it's like. Always feeling alone and empty inside. But as a vampire you don't have to feel that way. You can shut it off. I can show you how. Here." She took a vial of blood out of her pocket and put it into his palm. "It's my blood. If you die with it in your system you'll come back–"_

"_Anna," Jeremy interrupted her. "I can't…"_

"_You don't want to," she said disappointed._

_Jeremy turned his back on her for a second to find the right words. "It's not that I don't want to. I can't. What about school? My family? I'm sorry but–" He turned back to her to find that she was gone. "Anna?"_

_Suddenly his cell phone beeped. He had received a text from her._

_Think about it. Tell __me about your decision tonight._

**END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

**

Jeremy sighed. Everyone who meant something to him was leaving him. His parents… then Vicky and now Anna. It seemed like he didn't deserved happiness in his life.

After Anna had left he had hidden the vial of her blood in a drawer. There was no way that he was going to use it. He still had his family, Jenna and Elena. They needed him. He couldn't leave them. But he would keep the vial in memory of Anna.

* * *

Time went by quickly and soon the sun had set and the private parties began before the fireworks would ring out this year's Founders Day. Damon wasn't going to attend any of those parties. He wasn't in the mood. He'd rather get wasted at home later. Like always did when he was upset about something.

Maybe she should leave. Mystic Falls wasn't as appealing to him as it used to be. Not if it meant to stay away from Elena. She was the only thing that kept him here. Besides, he was running out of blood supplies. Snatch, feeds, erase would arouse too many suspicions and with the blood banks being observed… leaving was very appealing to him.

Bored he strolled across the fairground through the aisle of little shops where you could buy cheap souvenirs. He let his gaze wander around, over some peoples' heads until he spotted a familiar face. He increased his walking speed and approached that person.

"Where were you?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What?" they asked in chorus.

"Listen, we don't have much time," Anna told Damon quickly. "A group of tomb vampires are planning to attack town. They're after the founding families."

"What?" Damon said horrified. "How do you know?"

"It doesn't matter. We have to hurry. Go warn Stefan and Elena. I'll take care of Jeremy," she said and rushed away.

* * *

Elena was on edge. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it. And she knew it, too. Damon had just told her and Stefan that a group of vampires was after the founding family members. She had wanted to go and search Jeremy but Damon had said that he was already taken care of. He hadn't said anything else. Neither where he was going nor what they were supposed to do. Stefan had urged her on to find Caroline and the Fells. That was what they were doing when it happened.

Suddenly Stefan cried out in agony and fell on his knees, holding his head.

"Stefan!" Elena said worried. "Stefan, what's wrong? Stefan!"

He wasn't listening to her. He was too lost in the pain he was in. So all she could do was pat his back and whisper soothing words to him.

* * *

Anna's mind was racing. She had to find Jeremy. If something happened to him she would never forgive herself. He wasn't outside so she tried the Grill and found him eventually by the bathrooms.

"Anna!" he said when he saw her. "You have to give me more time. I haven't made up my mind yet."

"It doesn't matter now. Come on," she said and dragged him into the girls bathroom.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked worried.

"Listen, something terrible is going to happen. We have to – Aargh!"

She never finished the sentence. Instead she suddenly started crying out in pain, holding her head.

"Anna! Anna, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer him. So he just held her close, hoping that whatever was hurting her would stop soon.

The next moment the bathroom door burst open and two deputies entered. One of them pulled Anna out of his grip and injected something into her. Everything happened so fast that Jeremy couldn't do anything to stop them. He tried to reach her but the second deputy wouldn't let him.

"What are you doing? Leave her alone!" The first deputy was taking her away now. Jeremy struggled hard but the second deputy held him firmly in his grip.

And then she was gone and Jeremy knew he would never see her again.

* * *

Not long before Stefan had started to cry a deputy came over to them, followed by Alaric Saltzman who was talking agitatedly to the deputy to make him leave. What he was saying didn't make any sense to Elena. Something like I've got this one.

"I just saved your ass, you know," Alaric told them, leading them away from the crowd.

"What's going on?" Elena demanded.

"I overheard a conversation of your uncle he had with those council guys and the mayor. They were talking about harming the vampires and getting rid of them."

"But there's only one way to do that," Elena reminded him.

"The invention, right. Someone must've given it to them."

"I gave it to Isobel. But it shouldn't work. Bonnie–"

"Wait, Isobel was here?" Alaric asked confused.

Elena stared at him. "Yes, yesterday. Did you forget that?"

"Yes. She must've compelled me. Anyway, the deputies are injecting vervain and then they are taking the vampires away. I don't know where but I don't like it. Where's Damon?"

"I don't know. He disappeared."

Suddenly Stefan stopped crying. It faded away as quickly as it had started.

"It stopped," "Elena said relieved.

"Go!" Alaric urged them. "Go find Damon!"

* * *

Damon cursed at himself for his new good-boy attitude that Elena had awakened inside him. After warning her and Stefan he had gone to the sheriff's office to warn Liz Forbes, too. However he hadn't found her in there but John how was apparently just preparing the activation of Jonathan Gilbert's invention.

And now he was here – though he didn't know where here was - a storeroom he guessed. He couldn't move. They must've injected vervain into him. He turned his head to the side and saw John. He was hovering above someone and holding a stake in his hands. At second glance Damon recognized the person underneath him. It was Anna. She was pleading with him to spare her life.

"You are monsters. That's why I'll kill every last of you. It was a mistake to let you get so close to my nephew. But I'll make sure it'll happen again," John said and then he staked her.

* * *

Elena was running without knowing where exactly. All she knew was that Damon was in danger and that they had to hurry to save him.

"Elena, wait!" Stefan grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Stefan, we have to hurry! Damon–"

"I know but there's something you need to know before we find John," Stefan said.

"What? What is it, Stefan?"

"Damon thinks that John is your biological father. He said it would fit together with Isobel and everything we know about them," he explained.

"There's only one way to find out," Elena replied and resumed running.

* * *

They found John standing perfectly calm on the street, watching the fireworks.

"Where's Damon?" Elena demanded.

"It's too late. You can't do anything for him anymore," John replied.

"Elena, there's a fire!" Stefan told her.

"Let's go," she said. Stefan ran ahead and Elena wanted to follow him but John stopped her and held her firmly in place. "Let me go!"

"You can't go there."

"You think you're protecting your daughter this way?" she spat. "Yeah, I know," she told him when he looked puzzled. "And here's another newsflash. I'm making my own decisions!"

With that she freed herself out of his grip and ran after Stefan.

* * *

Fire. Everywhere. And he couldn't move. After John had killed Anna he had soused the vampires with gasoline and set the storeroom on fire.

Damon tried to straighten up. His body convulsed and he cried out in agony. He looked frantically around. The fire was creeping closer second by second. And Damon felt a strange emotion flash through him.

Fear.

Vervain, wood and fire were the only things that could harm a vampire. And he couldn't escape. Every move hurt like hell. He lay back flat on the ground, breathing hard. And he realized that he wouldn't survive. He would painfully burn to death.

"Why now?" he groaned, partly in pain, partly in frustration. "Why now that I turned to this different road?" He had changed. Damon Salvatore had actually changed. Changed because of one particular girl which, as he realized now, would never see again.

"No!" he said through gritted teeth. He couldn't die now. There was still so much he had to do, so much he had to tell her, so much he wanted… "Elena…"

She was the girl who had made him change. She was the one he cared about most. She was the one, as Isobel had figured out correctly, he was in love with…

"Damon!"

Damon pricked his ears. Elena? What was she doing in here? In the fire?

"Damon!"

He heard her voice more fiercely now.

"Elena," he croaked hoarsely, knowing that she wouldn't hear him. Besides, she couldn't be here. It was too dangerous for her. She would pass out from the smoke before he would die in the flames.

"Damon!"

But still he could hear her voice clearer with every time he heard her calling his name. "Damon!" Her voice was so close. Like she was right beside him. "Damon, it's me, Elena. Can you hear me?"

Damon opened his eyes and looked into the beautiful face of Elena Gilbert. He smiled. How he welcomed this hallucination now… With Elena by his side dying wouldn't be so horrible. It was actually the opposite. If Elena was with him he felt like he was in heaven, not in hell.

"Damon, can you hear me? Can you move?" Elena demanded, coughing and lifted him onto her lap.

She looked so troubled, so terrified. He didn't want to see her like this. She should smile and encourage him on his way through this. Death.

"They are on their way. They're gonna get you out of here, Damon. Bonnie's trying to dowse the flames. You won't die, you understand?"

Suddenly the flames started to diminish and Elena sighed, relieved. Stefan arrived at the scene, took Damon from her and led her outside. Elena ignored Bonnie - who had actually saved Damon but she was still mad at her for betraying her with the device - and turned to Damon, supporting him on his right. "You okay?"

Damon managed to nod slightly while being supported by Stefan and her.

* * *

Damon still couldn't believe that he was alive. After they had saved him from the fire Stefan had taken him home so he could feed and recover. Once he had he thought about what had just happened. Anna was dead, along with a dozen of other vampires. Burnt alive.

But there was something else that was on his mind. The mayor had been in the storeroom. They had caught him, too. Unfortunately a vampire had snapped his neck before he could ask him. But something was off about him. He would deal with that later. First he had to do something else. Something good.

* * *

Jeremy was lying on his bed, wishing for the world to end. His world had already ended. She's gone… Gone… The words kept repeating over and over in his head. And he was reproaching himself. He should've tried to find her. Maybe he could've saved her. Instead he had been here pitying himself…

A sudden movement at the bathroom door caught his attention. He turned his head and saw Damon leaning against the doorframe.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Anna's dead," Damon informed him directly. The truth, short and painful.

Jeremy sighed. "I figured as much when they took her away."

"Look," Damon said. "I know you cared about her and I can imagine you must be hurting. I took you pain away before and I can do it again but only if you want me to," he offered.

Jeremy shook his head. "That's nice. But it wouldn't change anything. It didn't work back then with Vicky and it won't work now. You can erase memories but you can't manipulate feelings. I'll always feel miserable. And I don't want to forget why. I don't want to forget her."

Damon nodded. "I understand." After a pause he asked "Is your sister home?"

"No, I haven't seen her for hours. Is it true that vampires can shut their feelings off? Anna said something like that."

"Yeah, it's very true."

"Is life easier that way?" Jeremy inquired.

"Yes, very easy," Damon answered with sad undertone. He knew best. He had shut off his feelings for a long time. "But I won't turn you," he added earnest.

They chuckled.

"I wasn't going to ask you."

"Good." Damon turned toward the door to leave.

"Wait, one last question," Jeremy asked.

"The very last," Damon said.

"Who killed her?" Jeremy inquired. "I mean who exactly. Just out of curiosity. Was it one of those deputies or…?"

Damon sighed. "Jeremy…"

"Was it John?" Jeremy demanded.

Damon hesitated but then he realized that lying wouldn't do any good. The boy was already considering John so he nodded barely noticeable. "I watched him stake her. I wanted to help her… but I couldn't. I'm sorry."

And with that Damon walked out of the room. Jeremy closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Anna's last words were still echoing in his ..

_Always feeling__ alone and empty inside. But as a vampire you don't have to feel that way. You can shut it off…

* * *

_

_Okay. _

_1) I hope you liked the excerpt of the one shot._

_2) I intentionally let Jeremy know that John killed Anna. It will be important for Jeremy's future._

_3) I intentionally made a cut here and left out the kissing scene on the porch. Before you kill me, the scene did happen in this story and I will refer to it in one of the later chapters, probably in form of a flash back. _

_4) The next chapter will probably be online sooner :)_

_5) I have a little thank you gift for you! I made another Delena video. It's called "Damon/Elena - Never Let You Go." (User name is Asuchan91) You can find it on youtube when you type in the title. I dedicated it to you, my readers, to thank you for the reviews, the favs and the alerts! _

_Love you! xxx_


	46. Awake & Alive Part 1

_Hi! I told you the next chapter would be online sooner :) _

_I included another one of my one shots but it was at the same point of the story. I hope you don't mind. _

_And now enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 46: Awake & Alive**** (Part 1)**

_I'm awake, I'm alive_

_Now I know what I believe inside_

_Now it's my time_

_I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

* * *

_

Damon was overjoyed and that weird since he was never overjoyed. But weird didn't seem so bad considering what had just happened…

For the first time in a long time he had a drink to celebrate. He was just knocking it back when he heard Stefan come home. He was on the cell, probably talking to Elena.

"Okay. Call me later. No matter what time. Love you, too. Bye."

Stefan hung up and entered the parlor. Damon raised his glass toward him. "Cheers!"

"You seem to be in a good mood." He sighed and slumped on the couch. "That day doesn't seem to end. Elena just called. Apparently Caroline, Matt and Tyler had a car accident and now they're in hospital.

"Aha," Damon said, knocking back another glass of bourbon. "So," he said then. "I kissed Elena."

"What?" Stefan was shocked.

"Two lips locking and…" He smacked his lips and laughed about Stefan's expression. "I was surprised. She kisses just like Katherine. Amazing."

"No," Stefan contradicted. "Elena's kisses are completely different from Katherine's."

Damon eyes widened in shock and realization.

"Crap!" he shouted and smashed the glass against the wall. And then he started walking toward the front door. "Come on," he urged Stefan.

"Where are we going? Did you really kiss Elena?" Stefan asked.

"I'll explain everything to you later but first we have to stop her. Follow me to Elena's," Damon told him quickly and rushed off, followed by Stefan.

* * *

When Anna woke up the flames that had threatened to burn all the vampires in the basement were doused and it was awfully quiet around her. She opened her eyes and took a look around. She was alone in the basement. All the other vampires were gone, probably burnt beyond recognition. She briefly wondered if Damon had made it out alive or if he had died, too.

Wait, why was she alive?

She tried to straighten up and slowly managed to do it. The verveine dose in her system was wearing off. She would be able to move properly in a few minutes.

Every part of her body ached and she was so extremely hungry. The first thing she would do would be paying a visit to the blood bank and then she would track down John Gilbert. She was going to kill him. Not only for attempting to kill her, but mainly for taking her mother away from her. He would pay for it and he would suffer a lot.

"I'll go downstairs and look for victims or survivors."

Humans. They were coming into the basement. Anna quickly lay back on the ground and pretended to be dead which she was due to the fact that she wasn't breathing. It was a man. She could tell from his voice. He was coming closer. His shoes draggled the ground. Probably a fireman. He crouched down beside her now. His heartbeat was so close. Thud Thud Thud.

She could also hear the blood running through his veins. Her throat started burning. She was so hungry…

The fireman placed two fingers on the artery in her neck to determine if she was dead or alive. He came to the conclusion that she was dead as she had no pulse.

"Poor thing," he sighed and wanted to get up.

Suddenly Anna's eyes shot open and she lunged at him. She quickly silenced him by snapping his neck. Then she pierced his neck with her fangs and started to drink his blood. It felt so good when the liquid ran down her throat. The more she drank the stronger she became. She drained him completely, taking all the blood she could get.

Then the basement door opened again. Anna took advantage of that moment and escaped, using vampire speed. Her powers were coming back. She could go and have her revenge now but her thoughts weren't occupied with John Gilbert anymore. The first name that came to her mind was Jeremy. She needed to know if he was okay.

* * *

When Anna reached the Gilbert residence it seemed like all hell had broken loose. Jenna, Elena and the Salvatores were all upset and shouting around. She watched them, hidden behind the bushes. Now they were coming out on the porch. She could see Damon carrying a body in his arms.

_Oh my God! Jeremy!_

"Go! Speed him to the hospital! And tell them that his heart mustn't give out once!" Elena urged Damon.

He nodded and sped away. Elena turned to Jenna who looked as if she was about to have a heart attack.

"How did he do that?" she asked shocked.

"I'll explain to you later," Elena said. "Stefan and I are gonna follow Damon to the hospital. You stay here. Someone should stay with John until the ambulance arrives."

And then she and Stefan got into Elena's car and drove away. Jenna hurried back into the house. Anna used her vampire senses to listen to her conversation with John Gilbert. She needed to know what happened.

"What's going on here, John? Who stabbed you? And what happened to Jeremy? He took all of Elena's antidepressants and there was a blood vial in the bathroom!"

Anna's eyes widened. Jeremy had wanted to turn? But why all of the sudden? Her eyes alternated between the Gilberts' kitchen and the main street. John had apparently already gotten what he deserved. She would deal with him later. Jeremy was more important now.

On her way to the hospital she knew she was supposed to hide since she was believed to be dead but she couldn't. She needed to be with Jeremy now. She wondered why she was alive at all. She had been staked after all.

From the corner of her eye she spotted the ring on her finger and then she remembered.

**

* * *

FLASHBACK**

_Anna was looking for Jeremy to run away with him until the danger was over. But she couldn't find him anywhere in the crowd. She was starting to worry. She didn't have much time._

_"Hey!"_

_The sudden sound of a voice behind her startled her. She spun around to see the history teacher Alaric Saltzman standing in front of her._

_"Are you talking to me?" she asked._

_"Yes. You're Jeremy's friend, right?"_

_"Yes," she answered, wondering what he wanted from her._

_"Here, take this," Saltzman said putting the ring into her palm._

_"Why are you giving this to me?"_

_"It's a gift from my wife. It revived me after I got staked," he told her. "Take it. It'll protect you. I overheard a conversation with John Gilbert. Something's going to happen to the vampires. They're going to harm them, kill them even."_

_"Why are you giving it to me and not one of the Salvatores?" she inquired._

_"They won't need it. I'm gonna stay with them and save them from the council if necessary," he told her._

_"And why would you want me to be safe?" she demanded, still confused about his behavior._

_"Because I know Jeremy cares about you. He wouldn't want to lose you."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Right, that was how it had happened. The ring had revived her. Saltzman had saved her life. And now she owed him.

* * *

Elena felt like she was about to crack up. Within thirty minutes her whole world had changed. She might lose someone she loved and someone who… well… probably got what he deserved.

She still hadn't quite realized what had happened at all. Everything had happened so fast. First she had discovered that someone had stolen her stuff. Then she had come home and found John close to death in the kitchen. Then Damon and Stefan had surprisingly burst through the door. And finally Damon who had gone upstairs to check up on the rest of the family had found Jeremy unconscious on his bed. He had said something about vampire blood and an overdose of pain killers. Clearly Jeremy had wanted to turn. But why?

And now she was on her way to the hospital with Stefan.

With screeching wheels they came to a halt in front of the hospital. They darted out of the car and stormed inside, past the reception, straight to the emergency room unit where Damon met them halfway.

"How's he?" Elena demanded.

"They brought him into the OR. I think they'll pump his stomach."

"Good. That's good."

"Elena!" Stefan grabbed her shoulders roughly and looked into her eyes. He wasn't compelling her. He just wanted her to focus. "You mustn't lose your mind now, okay? Calm down!"

"There's something we need to take care of," Damon told them.

"What?"

"We need blood."

"Excuse me?" Elena burst out indignantly. "Is that all you can–"

"No. No, Elena," Damon cut her off. "They'll draw Jeremy's blood. And we can't let them examine it. Anna's blood is still in his system. They'll see it! We have to replace the vial with someone else's blood."

"But whose blood are we gonna take?" Stefan asked.

Elena knew the answer. "Matt."

"I'm going ahead," Damon announced. "I'll distract them. I'll wait for you there, Stefan."

He headed toward the lab whereas Elena and Stefan entered the waiting area in front of the ER where the sheriff and Matt were sitting.

"Matt. Mrs. Forbes," Elena said when they approached them. "How's Caroline?"

"She's in coma," Forbes told them. "She has eternal bleeding. They can't say if she's gonna make it."

"She will. Caroline's strong," Elena assured her while hugging Matt. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she whispered to him. "In private?"

"Sure," Matt agreed and got up.

"We'll be right back," Elena said to Forbes before she, Matt and Stefan left the waiting area to talk.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked.

"I need your help, Matt," Elena explained. Her voice was shaking because she was so upset. "Something terrible happened. It's Jeremy… Tonight in the roar… his girlfriend died… and he was so upset… And just now we found him… He tried to kill himself with drugs… He just came clean and I don't want anyone to find out what kind of drugs he used and–"

"Elena, what do you want?" Matt interrupted her sermon.

"You blood," she answered directly. "We want to replace it by yours. But only if you want to and I would be eternally grateful if you–"

"Say no more, Elena," matt replied. "You got it."

"Oh, thank you, Matt!" She threw her arms around him but quickly let go of him again. "Let's go."

* * *

They looked for an empty examining room where Elena drew Matt's blood which was difficult because her hands were trembling. But she had to do it. She didn't know how Stefan would react to the blood.

"That's it. Thank you so much, Matt. I owe you forever," she said when she was done. She labeled the vial with Jeremy's data and then gave it to Stefan who left without further ado.

"I love you." Elena hugged Matt again.

"It's okay," Matt waved it off. "If I didn't know better I'd say you lost it."

"I know. I'm sorry. So much has happened and I haven't asked you how you are. How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess," Matt answered. "I'm just scared."

She patted his shoulder while they were walking back to the waiting area.

"I know. Me, too."

* * *

When they returned to Mrs. Forbes Jenna and Alaric had arrived and Stefan and Damon had already come back.

"So?" Elena asked.

"All done," Damon reported.

Elena nodded. She took a seat next to Jenna and put her arm around her shoulders. Jenna was shaking violently and crying.

"Jenna…"

"What the hell is going on?" Jenna sobbed. "Jeremy tries to kill himself… John gets stabbed in out kitchen…"

"He deserved it," Mrs. Forbes remarked darkly and everyone stared at her.

"Yes, he did," Elena agreed grimly.

"Elena!"

"What?" she snapped.

Damon walked over to the sheriff.

"I need to talk to you," he said. "About tonight."

She nodded, got up and followed him outside the waiting area.

"Where were you tonight? Did you know about John's plans?" Damon questioned her.

"John and Richard, the mayor, came to my office to ask for permission and to borrow my men for this completely mad plan. When I refused John knocked me out and handcuffed me to my desk. When Carol found me it was already over," the sheriff told him. "I didn't even have a change to catch up on what happened. I heard about my daughter and came here immediately. What did he do? What happened?"

"John activated a weapon against vampires. It's a device that emits a sound only vampires can hear. It paralyzes their senses. As long as the device was working the deputies located the vampires in the ground, injected vervain and brought them into a storeroom. And then John set the storeroom on fire."

"So all the vampires are dead?" Forbes inquired.

"Yes. All of them," Damon confirmed sadly, thinking of Anna.

"A storeroom you say? Carol just called me. Richard was found dead in that storeroom, too. I can't imagine why. You said only vampires can hear that sound and I'd swear to God that Richard wasn't one."

"I don't think so, either. But we got company tonight," Damon informed her.

"Company as in vampire company?"

"Right."

"But how's that possible? You said they were all caught."

"Not if she arrived after the device was turned off."

"How do you know?" the sheriff asked.

"I know her. She's been here before," Damon told her airily.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't sure about her," he lied.

"But now you are."

"Yes, I am."

"How?"

"Doesn't matter," Damon evaded. "More important is that she is very good at acting as someone's double." And apparently she's acting as Elena's double right now."

"You mean…?" Forbes pointed at the Elena in the waiting area.

"Oh no. No, that's the real one."

"How does she do it? I mean imitate her voice, her actions. Are they all congruent?"

"Perfectly congruent," Damon answered. "That's the problem. I fell for her trick. I met her in front of the Gilberts' when I thought she was Elena. Jenna invited her into the house. I think she's the one who stabbed John."

"But what's her motif?"

"That's the part I haven't figured out yet," he admitted. "But I wanted you to know so you won't freak out when people are getting killed or reported missing again. She's brutal. She doesn't even care about keeping a low profile and she stops at nothing to get what she wants."

"What's her name?"

"Katherine Pierce."

"Okay, keep me up to date. And now I'd like to go back to see if my daughter's condition of my daughter has changed."

"Of course."

The rejoined everyone else in the waiting area. Damon's gaze lingered on Elena. She was a mess. She was worrying so much about her brother that she was starting to lose it.

"What if they don't make it in time? What if his heart gives out? What are we supposed to do then?" she asked Stefan desperately.

"Then we'll help him through it," he promised, squeezing her hand.

"It won't happen," Damon said convinced.

"Damon," Stefan warned.

"How can you be sure?" Elena asked.

"Because I _told_ them to do the best they can to not let his heart skip one beat," Damon answered.

She looked at him questioningly. It was like she was transmitting the question telepathically to him.

_You mean–?_

_Yes._

He had compelled the doctors to make sure that Jeremy's heart wouldn't give out.

"Thank you," Elena said. He nodded and gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Can't you do something for Caroline, too?"

"Elena!" Stefan hissed.

He was trying to keep a low profile. Elena knew that but she didn't care about it. She ignored him and looked at Damon, just like Alaric and Stefan did. Damon hesitated.

"Ah, I don't know... You confuse me for someone else."

"I know it's not your style but your reputation can't get any worse, right?" Elena said. "Please."

She was pleading with him. Those eyes that were so sad and yet contained a spark of hope begged him to save the life of her friend. And yet again he found himself unable to resist her.

"I'll be right back," he said and walked through the door to the intensive care unit where they were treating Caroline.

"What's he doing?" Caroline's mother asked.

"He'll save her," Elena promised.

"How? Is he a doctor or something?" Matt inquired.

"Or something," Elena answered smiling faintly. "Don't worry about it. Everything will be fine."

"Elena, I don't think it was such a good idea," Stefan whispered to her.

"I don't care. I'm just trying to save the people I care about."

Now a woman walked through the door that led tot he OR area, up to them and Jenna jumped to her feet.

"How is he? Can we go to him?" she asked.

"We stabilized Mr. Gilbert. He lost a lot of blood but he made it. We stitched up the wound. You can see him now," the nurse said.

"And what about Jeremy?"

"They're still operating on him."

Jenna slumped back on her chair and buried her face into Alaric's chest.

"I should've been there. I should've checked on him. I knew something was wrong when he came home," she sobbed.

"It's not you fault," Alaric said soothingly.

"Jeremy lost someone he cared about," Elena told her.

"Anna?"

Yes, she died tonight."

In that moment Damon returned to them.

"How is she?" Elena asked him. "Will she make it?"

"Yes, she will. I saved her. But someone has to stay with her to make sure no one draws her blood," he added.

"Damon!" Alaric and Stefan warned.

"Blood?" the sheriff repeated and started at Damon in horror. "Oh my God, you're one of them..."

And then she fainted and her body collapsed. Damon caught her.

"Oh my God," Elena gasped.

"It's okay," Damon said calmly. "She's just in shock."

"You were careless!" Stefan reproached him.

"She's not gonna remember this."

"Yeah, 'cause you'll make her forget, huh?"

Damon didn't answer to that. He was distracted by someone who just joined them in the waiting area.

"Somebody pinch me. I think I'm gonna pass out, too," he said, staring at the person in front of him.

"Anna?" Elena exclaimed taken aback. "But how?"

"Hey, Damon. So you survived, too. Good," Anna said like it was perfectly normal to revive from death. She walked casually over to Alaric, slipped the ring from her finger and gave it back to him. "Thanks. I owe you."

"That ring..." Damon said and stared at Alaric. "You gave it to her?"

"You know what she is?" Elena asked.

"I had a hunch." He shrugged.

"And it worked?" Damon inquired surprised. "I watched him kill you," he said to Anna. "And then your dead body burnt up in the flames!"

"Yeah. I think I'll never get rid of the burns," Anna sighed, looking at the burns on her hands. "But at least I'm alive, right?"

"If you survived that why didn't you come sooner?" Elena demanded. "Before Jeremy decided to–"

"Elena," Stefan warned.

"Shut up!" Elena snapped. "I know what I can say and what I can't."

"What's going on here?" Matt asked suspiciously. "What's with all the secrecy?"

"Nothing," Elena lied and turned back to Anna.

""I wanted to leave. I know he was after me. He killed my mom. I gave _it_ to Jeremy in case he wanted to run away with me," she told them. "But he refused. He didn't want to leave you guys. I'm sorry," she added apologetically.

"I didn't think he would use it without me by his side."

"He said something about that he didn't want to feel anymore," Damon recalled. "He wanted to shut his feelings off like we do it sometimes."

Anna nodded.

"You mean very much to Jeremy, did you know that?" Elena said to Anna. "Apparently more than Jenna or I."

Anna didn't reply to that.

Suddenly the door to the OR area opened and another nurse appeared. Her gaze fell on the still unconscious sheriff Damon was supporting.

"What happened?" she asked worried.

"Nervous breakdown," Damon answered. "Could you take care of her, please?"

"Yes, of course the nurse said. "I'll take her to her daughter."

"How is she?" Matt demanded.

The nurse smiled. "We stabilized her. She's still unconscious but she will be fine."

Matt and Elena let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

"Can I see her?" Matt asked hopefully.

"For the moment I can only let family members in. Are you a family member?"

"No."

"Then go home and get some sleep. I promise you can see her tomorrow," the nurse said, giving him a warm smile. She called a male nurse who scooped Mrs. Forbes up in his arms and then they walked through the door. Matt turned to Damon.

"I don't know how you did it but... thanks." He offered his hand to Damon who shook it wordlessly. Then Matt turned to Elena and Jenna. "I hope Jeremy will be alright soon."

"Thank you, Matt," Elena said, forcing a smile. "See you tomorrow."

Matt walked away and Damon took a seat next to Elena.

"Before he wakes up you need to know something and you, too," he added, looking at Anna.

"Not now, Damon. Don't you see her? You can't put her through more!" Stefan hissed angrily.

"I think her safety is more important than her condition right now," Damon retorted.

"Is it about who stabbed John?" Alaric inquired.

"Bingo."

"I don't care who it was. Oh, wait, maybe I do. I want to thank that person," Elena said.

"Elena!" Stefan and Jenna were shocked.

"Where's this hatred coming from?" Stefan asked perplex.

"I don't know," Elena answered. "Maybe from the moment he tried to kill one of my friends and his nephew's girlfriend which might lead to the death of his nephew! And the worst thing is that he's my goddamn father!"

"What?" Jenna burst out.

"Yup. Uncle John is my father. Great, huh?" Elena mocked.

"Enough," Damon put an end to that. "John's the least of our problems now. She's back."

"She? She?"

"Katherine?" Anna asked.

"Right."

"Like we didn't have enough problems already," Alaric moaned.

"How do you know?" Elena asked.

"I met her in front of your house. I just told Jeremy about Anna's death. Jenna invited her in. I think she stabbed John."

"Why?"

"No idea."

Damon was glad she didn't ask him how he couldn't have been able to tell them apart. He still couldn't understand that, either. Now that he thought about it, it was clear that the person he had talked to hadn't been Elena. She had worn different clothes and she hadn't worn the vervain necklace...

The sound of someone clearing his voice loudly interrupted his thoughts. It was Alaric. He was pointing at Jenna behind her back.

"Do it. Now. Before she hears more," he mouthed.

Damon nodded and walked over to Jenna. He knelt in front of her and looked into her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Jenna asked anxiously.

"Don't be afraid, Jenna. Everything will be fine," Damon said soothingly. "Nice bracelet," he added. "Can I see it for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," Jenna said and took it off. They were lucky that Jenna vervain perfume was used up. Otherwise compelling her wouldn't have been so easy. "Thanks." Damon gave the bracelet to Alaric and then he looked deep into Jenna's eyes.

* * *

_I just HAD TO inlude the Damon's quote in the beginning. I'm so looking forward to that scene. _

_Anna's alive, yeah! Okay from here on out this story will be absolutely AU but I just couldn't let Anna die. I need her to be alive in this story. Team Anna and Team Janna! 3_

_While I was writing this the following words kept repeating over and over in my head. "Shut the fuck up, Stefan!" Really, he was so annoying, always telling everyone to be careful what they say. Just like Elena put it, the safety of your friends is more important than secrets. _

_Now the sheriff knows. We'll see how she'll deal with it._

_Everyone is against John! The sheriff... Damon... Elena... Anna... no one cares about the fact that he survived, too *lol*  
_

_Now Jeremy has to wake up and everything is fine... well as fine as it can be with Katherine around._

_I'll try to upload the next chapter soon, too._

_And I have an advice for you. I just started watching Heroes. I don't know why now. I just started liking it. Anyway, I noticed that if I write while watching intense scenes I can write intense scenes in my fan fiction better. You should try it, too!_

_Yours Asu  
_


	47. Awake & Alive Part 2

_Part 2 =) Enjoy!_

* * *

**Awake and Alive Part 2**

I can feel you in my sleep  
In your arms, I feel you breathe into me  
Forever hold this heart that I will give to you  
Forever I will live for you

I'm awake, I'm alive  
Now I know what I believe inside  
Now it's my time  
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

* * *

"Here we are. Casa Salvatore," Damon said and pointed with an inviting wave of his hand toward the boarding house. "We're happy to welcome our new resident."

Elena almost smiled. He sounded like the doorman of some exclusive hotel. Under different circumstances it would have been funny.

After a doctor had told them that they had stabilized Jeremy he had sent them home. They should get some sleep and come back tomorrow.

As the Gilbert was wasn't an option since Jenna had invited Katherine in they had packed a few things and then spilt into groups. Jenna had gone with Alaric to his place and Elena had gone with the Salvatores. She would be staying at the boarding house for a while. And as soon as Jeremy got better he would move there, too.

Stefan opened the door and wanted to enter but Damon stopped him.

"Wait. Elena should enter first."

"Right. After you," he said to her.

"Thanks." She walked past him into the house, then turned around. "And now?"

"Do something. Say something. Make the house your property."

"How?"

"Think of something!"

Elena thought it through. She knew there didn't exist a selling contract which she could sign so she had to do it symbolically.

"You're the current owners, right?" she asked.

"Yes. After Zach _died_" Stefan emphasized the last word because they all knew that Zach hadn't died a natural death. "we were the last Salvatores left. So the house is ours."

"Mine to be exact," Damon pointed out and Stefan glared at him. "I'm the older brother as you well know."

"I know," Elena said. "I'll just buy the house symbolically." She took her purse out. "Is 1$ enough? I'm kinda short of cash right now."

Damon chuckled. "1 cent is enough."

Elena smiled faintly. "Here you go." She handed him a dollar. "I hereby buy the boarding house. It is now my property. And from now on I get to decide who enters this house and who doesn't."

"You're a natural," Stefan complimented her.

"Thanks. Oh and Stefan, Damon, come inside," she added smiling.

"Thank you, Ms Gilbert. Damon entered, followed by Stefan.

"Wow," Elena said. "When my parents died I didn't inherit anything. And now I have a house."

"It's nothing special. If you live here for a while you grow quite accustomed to it."

"Let's hope she doesn't," Stefan replied. "I can't take two spoilt brats."

Elena laughed. Stefan and Damon stared at her and she quickly stopped it.

"Sorry."

"No, don't be. We're just happy you can laugh again," Stefan said and hugged her.

"It's liberating," she agreed.

"So, I'll just take you stuff upstairs for you Ms Gilbert. I heard you'd be residing in my four walls. How very kind of you."

"Ha-ha, Damon. Very funny. No," Elena refused. "I'll take the stuff upstairs myself and I won't _reside_ in _your_ room."

Damon shrugged. "Just a thought."

"A stupid thought," Stefan muttered. "You should've known that we'll share a room."

"No, we won't," Elena contradicted.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Stefan but for the time being I'd like to have my own room and sleep in my own room," she explained and added emphatically. "Alone."

"Okay, I understand that."

"Thanks. I'll go upstairs and unpack."

She took her bag and ascended the stairs. Stefan waited until he heard her enter a room and then he pinned Damon to the wall.

"You wanted to explain something to me," he reminded his older brother.

"Which I hardly can while you're choking my vocal chords," Damon croaked.

Stefan let go of him and crossed his arms. "Why did you ask if Elena kissed like Katherine? Were you going to kiss Elena?"

"No. She kissed me," Damon lied. "Katherine. For a moment I thought it was Elena until you told me they kiss completely different."

"You should've obvious that it wasn't Elena when she kissed you."

"Oh really? I don't think so. It's her call to make, you know, not yours. If one day Elena chooses to like me more than a friend you won't be able to do anything about it," Damon said.

"If she chooses it out of her free will. But you won't compel her!" Stefan threatened.

"I told you we're just friends. I want to keep it that way. But if you were in my position you wouldn't turn her down, right?"

Stefan growled. He turned around and walked toward the front door. "I'm off to feed," he muttered and left.

Pleased with himself Damon walked upstairs to Elena. She had chosen the room between his and Stefan's without knowing so. He leant against the doorframe and crossed his arms while watching her unpack. She just took out the last heap of clothes and put it into her new wardrobe. Then she turned around and spotted Damon.

"Hey. How long have you been standing there?"

"Ten seconds. So you established yourself already, huh?"

"Yeah. I didn't pack much. I'm still hoping we'll get rid of Katherine soon so I can go back home," Elena admitted. "Though I know it's only wishful thinking. Do you have any idea why she came back?"

"None whatsoever," Damon answered. "Except that the fact that she doesn't want the Pierce bloodline to die out."

"Right. I almost forgot," Elena said and slumped onto the bed.

"Hey," Damon said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there," she replied. "Now that I know that Jeremy is alive and still human."

"Elena, look at me." Damon didn't know what was wrong with him. First he couldn't turn any of her requests down and now he couldn't stand to see her sad. How could he shut off his feelings again? Elena looked at him. Her eyes revealed exhaustion. "You were very brave today. At some point I wasn't sure if you were going to make it but you kept a clear head. With Matt. And Caroline."

"Thanks," Elena said smiling. "For that. And for what you did today. I know it wasn't easy for you to do so much good in so little time."

"I think it was a fair exception," Damon replied. "But tomorrow we better pretend like it didn't happen. I'd like to keep at least some of my bad reputation, okay?"

There it was again. Elena's laugh. He would crack a thousand stupid jokes only to hear her laugh. She was right. It was liberating somehow.

"Do you need anything? Are you hungry? I could cook again," he offered.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm not very hungry."

"Okay. I'll go back to the hospital now. Just as a precaution," he added.

"Okay."

"Get some sleep. Stefan's out feeding. I don't know when he'll come back."

"I will," she assured him. "Good night, Damon."

"Night, Elena," Damon said and left.

* * *

Two hours after she had fainted Liz Forbes woke up in a chair next to her daughter Caroline. She was still unconscious but a nurse assured her that it was only a matter of time until she would wake up and that she would recover completely.

Mrs Forbes was happy about that but of course she hadn't forgotten what she had heard before she had passed out. Damon Salvatore, her partner, was a vampire. And yet he had saved her daughter tonight. It didn't make any sense to her. Could there really be good and bad vampires?

She rubbed her eyes. What a crazy day… She took Caroline's hand into hers. Then she frowned. She opened Caroline's hand and found a little note in it.

_I saved your daughter. Saved, not turned. Make sure they don't draw her blood. They can see it._

_Now you know what we are and I hope you can trust us as much as we trust you with our secret. I'm not blackmailing you and you're not indebted to me in any way for that I saved Caroline._

_But I want you to know that the Salvatores are on your side. _

The sheriff read Damon's note another time and sighed while putting it into her pocket. In that moment Caroline opened her eyes.

"Mom?"

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you?" Forbes asked.

"Fine. Why am I in hospital?"

"You had a car accident but everything will be fine," Forbes assured her smiling.

* * *

Anna was sitting on Jeremy's bed, holding his hand. He still hadn't woken up because of the anesthetics but the doctors had said he was out of the woods.

She was glad that they had managed to pump Jeremy's stomach in time. She would have never forgiven herself if he had turned out of self-pity. It would have been a disaster. Even worse than his death.

She squeezed his hand. "You're not alone, Jeremy. I'm here," she whispered and stroke his face. "And when you wake up I'll kick your ass for trying to turn," she added playfully.

Suddenly she heard someone walking straight up to this room. Anna quickly left Jeremy's side through the window. Behind a tree she could see what was happening in the room.

Not long after Anna had left someone pulled the curtain aside and came into her view. She had to bit her lip to let no gasp or event he person's name escape it.

It was Katherine.

Katherine's gaze fell upon the unconscious Jeremy and an evil smile spread on her lips.

"NO!"

Anna rushed back into the room and tackled Katherine. But Katherine was older and therefore stronger. She easily warded Anna's attack off and hurled her noisily against the wall. Anna quickly got up. She vamped out, baring her teeth and growled.

"Leave him alone!"

She lunged at Katherine again but like before she couldn't hurt her.

"We can do this over and over again, Anna. Until you finally reunite with your mother. But it bores me and I don't have time for games so back off!" Katherine spat menacingly.

"Never!" Anna rushed forward trying to reach Jeremy. Again Katherine hurled her through the room. Anna hit the bedside table and collapsed on the floor, too far away from Jeremy.

Katherine had won. She smiled and bent over Jeremy to kill him, just when he was starting to wake up.

"Jeremy!" Anna screamed.

And Jeremy screamed, too.

All of sudden the two vampires froze. They heard footsteps. Of course someone had heard the noise they were making. Katherine looked at the door, then at Anna. And then she left through the open window. So did Anna.

The door opened and a male nurse walked into the room. He eyes Jeremy, who was sitting bolt upright in his bed, worriedly.

"Everything alright?" the male nurse asked.

"Yeah," Jeremy answered weakly. "It was just… a bad dream… I guess."

"Go back to sleep, son. And be careful. We don't want that wound tear up again, right?"

The male nurse left the room and Jeremy carefully lay back down. Then Anna returned to his side.

"Anna!" he said shocked. "I thought you were dead!"

"You're dreaming, Jeremy," she said softly and stroke his face. "Close your eyes and let the dream continue."

Jeremy did as she told him and fell asleep almost instantly. Anna's eyes were fixed on the window. She didn't know if Katherine would come back and try it again. She couldn't even think of a reason why she would want to kill and thereby turn Jeremy. She had never understood why Katherine turned so many people only to leave them behind in the end.

There was a breeze and then a figure appeared in the room. Anna jumped to her feet, ready to fight again.

"Hold on, it's me," the person said.

Moonlight engulfed the man and Anna could see his face.

"Damon?"

"Exactly," he said and stepped closer. "Do you expect someone?"

"She was here! Katherine!" she told him.

"Katherine was here? Something crossed my way but I didn't think it was her."

"She tried to kill Jeremy though I have no idea why."

"I do," Damon replied darkly. "To hurt Elena." Anna was silent. "How is he?"

"He just woke up. We caused quite a scene," Anna admitted. "But it made her leave. Now he's sleeping again."

"Good. Listen, I'd rather Elena didn't find out about this, okay? It's enough that Katherine is actually after her."

"Whatever. I only care about Jeremy."

"Right. About that, do you already know what you'll do after they release him?" Damon asked.

"I don't know. Maybe live in the house my mom bought, be Jeremy's personal guard," she suggested.

"You can't go back to that life. John thinks you're dead and we better keep it that way."

"Then tell me, Damon. What am I supposed to do?" she demanded.

"You have to hide. He mustn't find out you're still alive or he'll come after you again. I say you leave and never come back."

"Forget it. I won't leave Jeremy. Not now with that bitch around."

"Ever so stubborn," Damon moaned. "Okay. I can't believe I'm saying this now but… if you don't want to leave then he'll have to hide with you."

"Meaning?"

"Elena moved into the boarding house. She owns the place now. She wants Jeremy around her. I think we have some space for you, too."

Anna smiled. "Doesn't that hurt? Being so nice?"

"More than you can imagine," Damon muttered. "It's just… the kid won't stop bragging about you. It's easier that way."

"I like your house. Looks pretty comfortable," Anna said smiling.

And by that she agreed to the plan.

* * *

"Now listen up, you dick. Even if you don't feel anything it doesn't mean that life as a vampire is a piece of cake, alright? You have to deal with things a greenhorn like you couldn't stand a second. You will stay human, is that understood?" Damon demanded.

"Understood," Jeremy assured him. "I don't what was wrong with me. I was just so…"

"Out of your mind?" Damon assisted.

"Damon!" Stefan snapped.

"Alone," Jeremy corrected.

"Alone? But you have us, Jenna and I," Elena reminded him.

"Right but I feel like there's something missing," he told them. "Anna filled that hole."

Elena smiled. "You love her, don't you?"

"What? No! No, I don't."

Elena continued to smile. She turned to look at Damon. "I think he passed."

"Passed? Did you test me?" Jeremy asked confused.

"Yup."

"Okay, fine, you passed," Damon agreed, walking up to the door. "And now you get your price," he added and opened the door. "You can come in now."

"Was about time," Anna said and entered.

Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise and shock.

"Anna? I thought you were dead!"

We'll give you some time," Elena said and left with Stefan and Damon.

"How's this possible?" Jeremy asked amazed as Anna was walking up to him.

"You can thank our history teacher later," she explained and hugged him.

"I will." He hugged her back. "You're here. I can't believe it. So I wasn't dreaming last night, right?"

"No, you weren't."

"So you were here all night?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Can you stay again tonight?"

Anna chuckled. "I'll think about it."

They smiled and kissed.

* * *

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you won't."

"But–"

"Stefan, he tried to kill both of you," Elena reminded him. "Besides, I want to talk to him alone."

"Talk. Just talk?"

"Yes, he's my father."

"Right, if it wasn't for you we would be rid of him now," Damon said.

"I was shocked, okay? It was instinct. I don't watch people die!" Elena defended herself.

"It's okay, Elena. You did the right thing," Stefan agreed with her.

"He would've deserved it."

"Damon!"

"Ah, forget it. You wait here," Elena said and stalked away to the room where John was recovering.

* * *

When Elena reached John's room she hesitated. Damon was right. Why did she want to talk to John? He had proven which side he was on. He had tried to kill all vampires including those who meant something to her or to her brother. He posed a threat to all of them.

And yet… and yet she had saved him last night. When she had found him in the kitchen he had begged her to slip his ring back on his finger and she had. She had saved his life. If she hadn't the threat would be over now.

She wasn't a bad person. She didn't kill people and she didn't help others kill them.

She opened the door and walked straight inside. John was alone in the room. Good.

"Elena," John said happily. "I didn't think anyone would come see me."

"I'll be the first and the last, John," Elena declared and closed the door.

Suddenly her mood had changed. She looked at John and all she could feel was hatred.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm here to talk," she told him and walked over to him.

"Okay."

"By talk I mean I tell you few things and you just listen, got it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Good. I'll make it short and easy." She paused a second. "Don't fight us, John or I'll regret saving your life. But I can always make it undone. See? All I have to do… is slip your ring off." She slipped the ring off and John started to whimper. The bandage around his torso got wet with blood because the wound was open again. After a moment Elena slipped the ring back on and the wound closed.

"Sometimes you remind me so much of her," John whispered shocked.

"I am _nothing_ like Katherine," Elena clarified. "Mark my words," she added menacingly and then she left.

* * *

_Jeremy is alive and still human! Team Human Life! *lol* I read that in some recap XD_

_And he and Anna are reunited They are my second favorite couple after Delena :)_

_Damon is a barrel of favors and walking joke box XD But only because the situation required it. Soon when things get intense again, meaning, when Katherine haunts Mystic Falls, he will be the bad boy again. _

_The relationship between Elena and Stefan is crumpling. Did you notice how often Elena contradicts Stefan or tells him to shut up in this double chapter? Delena is on its way._

_You might wonder what's gotten into Elena when she talked to John. Let's just say that John isn't completely wrong about her resemblance to Katherine. Did you notice that the evil side runs in the family? Katherine... Isobel... now Elena. Let's just hope Elena doesn't become a vampire so soon... _

Yours Asu


	48. Allies

_New chapter. Enjoy!_**  


* * *

**

**Chapter 48****: Allies**

_In troubled times it's hard to get straight answers_

_Between the lines, that border wrong or right_

_We search our hearts to justify the reason and draw the line_

_To meet somewhere halfway_

_If faith is blind through darkness it will guide us_

_'Cause the spirit still remains with the keepers of the flame_

_We live of faith in the hands of those who guide us_

* * *

_One day after Founders Day…_

After Caroline was released from the hospital Liz Forbes was ready to go back to work. But first she stopped by the council's headquarters to share the information she had received from Damon with the others. However she never made it inside.

"Morning, Jackson," she greeted the guard outside.

"I'm sorry, Miss but I can't let you through," Jackson said and held out his hand to stop her.

"What are you talking about? It's me. Liz."

"I'm sorry, I don't know you, Miss," Jackson apologized. "But you're the woman on this picture, right?"

He showed her a picture of her, Alaric Saltzman and Damon Salvatore.

"Yes…"

"I have strict instructions not to let anyone on this picture inside, I'm sorry," the guard told her. "Please leave now."

Forbes stared at him in disbelief. She was speechless. But she realized that she couldn't do anything about it at the moment. So she turned around and got into her car. She drove to the police station to find that she was no longer working there.

"Thurman, what are you doing behind my desk?" she demanded as she entered her office.

"_My_ desk you mean," Thurman corrected her.

"Excuse me?"

"Go home, Liz. You're no longer working here," a voice behind her told her.

She spun around to see John. "John? What's going on here? I just stopped by the council to meet you but someone told the guards not to let me in."

"Yes," John confirmed. "I did."

"What? Why?"

"I think you know that very well," John said. "I can't trust anymore, Liz. I regret that very much." Forbes still didn't understand so he jogged her memory. "Two days ago when I asked you to leave some of the deputies at my disposal you refused. You endangered the mission. I can't let that happen again."

"You asked me to let you expose them to the threat! What if something had gone wrong? What if some of them had died?" Forbes argued.

"We had to take that risk," John replied without empathy. "Do you remember what we swore when we started the council? To do whatever is necessary to put an end to the threat by the vampires. You chose to work against us. You betrayed us. So we fired you."

"_You_ did," Forbes corrected.

"Yes, I did. I'm head of the council after all."

"And what's this?" Forbes demanded. "What's Thurman doing here."

"He's telling the truth. You're not working here anymore."

"Says who?" she challenged him.

"The mayor of Mystic Falls, Mrs. Carol Lockwood," John answered and showed her a document that confirmed what he had just said.

She snatched it from him and read it.

"This is fake. Carol is my friend. She would never do it."

"But she did."

"You brainwashed them all. Jackson, Carol, who else?"

"It's your choice," John said, ignoring her accusation. "Either you go voluntarily or I'll have them arrest you. I mean he will," he corrected himself and pointed at Thurman who smirked at Forbes.

"No need to. I'm going," she replied angrily. "But I will come back."

She turned around and left the station. She walked over to her car, got in and slammed the door shut. She took a deep breath and then she took out her cell phone and dialed a number she hadn't dialed in years. The person she hoped to reach didn't answer, just his voice mail.

"Hi. This is Liz. If you still care about the people of this town then get your ass back home. Something's off and… I need you."

* * *

"Okay, we're here."

"Did someone follow us?" Stefan inquired.

"No, we're good. Hurry!" Damon urged them.

Two days had passed since Founders Day. Today the hospital had released Jeremy at his own risk. Elena, the Salvatores and Anna had picked him up and brought him to the boarding house. If everything went well Jeremy and Anna would move in now. But they had to be careful. They didn't know if John was had been released yet and if he was suspicious of them. He couldn't find out about Anna because he would try to kill her again.

They got out of the car and hurried over to the house. Elena unlocked the door and dragged Jeremy inside. Then she took a document out of her pocket.

"You think it'll work?" Jeremy asked.

"You signed this selling contract that makes you part co-owner of this house together with me. Try to invite her in then we'll know," she told him.

"Okay. Anna, come inside!"

Anna quickly walked up to them – over the threshold – and into the house.

"It worked," he said happily and pulled her into his arms.

Now Stefan and Damon entered, too and Damon locked the door.

"I would have never thought we would have to lock that door someday."

"We have human landlords now," Stefan replied smiling and pulled Elena into his arms as well. "We can't afford gatecrashers to enter anymore."

"Did you notice something suspicious before you entered?" Anna inquired.

"No, everything was clear. You're safe now."

"I really don't know why you bother so much. I want him to see me. I want to kill him. I want revenge for my mom," Anna said through gritted teeth.

"Forget it," Jeremy refused at once. "I want him to suffer, too but more than that I want you to live."

"He's right," Elena agreed. "Don't throw you life for vengeance. Make the most of your second chance."

"I can assure you that we all feel the same toward him and he will get what he deserves when it's time."

"Damon!" Stefan obviously didn't agree with that.

"He's right, Stefan," Elena said, joining Damon's side.

Stefan stared at Elena in disbelief and she averted her gaze.

"There's a room for you. Second one on the left," Damon told the young couple.

"Let's go," Jeremy said and headed for the stairs but Anna grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"I know a faster way," she whispered seductively and rushed with him upstairs.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone now," Damon said and added explanatorily "I'm hungry."

He walked over to the staircase that led to the cellar but froze when someone knocked on the front door. He exchanged a glance with Stefan and Elena before he walked to the door and opened it a crack to see who was standing outside.

"You?" he said confused and opened the door completely.

"Caroline!" Elena said surprised and she and Stefan joined Damon by the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," Caroline stated and stormed inside.

"About?" Damon inquired, shut the door and followed everyone into the parlor.

"It's my mom. She was fired. She's no longer the sheriff and they kicked her out of the council, too," Caroline told them. "She said it had something to do with you guys. So, can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Elena exchanged a guilty glance with Damon and Stefan. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly a cell phone rang. It turned out to be Damon's.

"Stupid teacher. What does he want now?" he wondered aloud and took the call. "Yeah? Yeah. Hold on."

Damon hung up and back to the front door to let Alaric in. A second later they joined Stefan and the girls in the parlor.

"Hey. I'm sorry about mom. I just met her," Alaric said to Caroline when he spotted her.

"What happened?" Elena inquired.

"I just stopped by the council for the weekly meeting but they wouldn't let me in," Alaric told them. "The guard said he had instructions not to let Liz, Damon and me inside. They even got pictures of us."

"Liz was also released from her duties as the sheriff," Damon added and nodded when he realized what was going on. "John."

"He's not responsible for everything," Stefan objected.

"But for this he is," Alaric replied determinedly. "He's head of the council. He knows that I'm close to you and Damon's the devil in person of course. He's getting rid of the spies."

"But what has my mom got to do with it?" Caroline wanted to know.

"She opposed John on Founders Day," Damon recalled. "She told me she wanted to stop him but he knocked her out. He's getting rid of everyone who has the power and the will to oppose him."

Alaric nodded. Elena turned to Caroline.

"I'm very sorry about your mom. She protected us but we had no idea that John would do this."

"It sounds a lot like your some criminals and now my mom got into it as well!" Caroline snapped.

"No, we're not criminals–"

"Then what's John got against you? Why's my mother protecting you?" she demanded.

"This is why," Damon said and vamped out.

Caroline screamed.

"That was completely unnecessary!" Stefan reproached his brother while Elena tried to calm Caroline down.

"She wanted to know." Damon shrugged and his face changed back to normal. " So I showed her."

Caroline stared at him horrified. "I remember you," she recalled. "You fed on me and then – then you wanted to kill me!" she stammered.

"Well done, Damon," Elena snapped, continuing to calm down her friend which was almost impossible.

"Vampires…"

"Caroline, listen to me. Look at me," Elena demanded, cupped Caroline's face and forced her to meet her gaze. "Damon won't hurt you anymore, alright`"

"That's why I get for saving your life. Ts," Damon said.

Caroline's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"Damon saved your life on Founders Day," Stefan explained. "After the accident. You were in coma but thanks to Damon you're alive and healthy."

"Doesn't that prove that he's good?" Elena said. "See, not all vampires are bad. Some of them are good."

"I don't believe a word you say," Caroline objected and freed herself out of Elena's grip. "Leave me and my mother alone!" she shouted and walked toward the door.

"Fine! Then leave!" Elena shouted after her. "And if you see Bonnie tell her that if she wants us to be enemies then we are!" Caroline left and the door slammed shut. Elena slumped on the couch. "Perfect…"

"I'll go after her and compel her again," Damon announced.

"No, wait until she calmed down!" Stefan demanded.

"Maybe Liz can convince her that she doesn't need to be afraid," Alaric proposed.

"I can't believe John's doing that. Mrs. Forbes needs the job," Elena said. "It's my fault. I should have let him die after all."

"No, you're not that kind of a person," Stefan contradicted and put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"What are we gonna now?" Alaric inquired. "We can't foresee his actions anymore."

"Do we really need to?" Elena asked.

"No, we don't," Damon answered. "John's goal is to extinct all vampires in town. He'll try to find a way to kill us and then he'll challenge us."

"He won't give up until either he is dead or we," Stefan added.

This outlook wasn't appealing to any of them.

"Do you what I don't get?" Elena said after a while. "What's going between Katherine and John."

"First John wanted the device. Then Isobel came to get if for Katherine," Damon recapped. "But instead of giving it to her she gave it to John who used it to get rid of the vampires."

"That's why she tried to kill him." Alaric nodded in agreement.

"But what if it's the other way round?" Damon asked.

"What other way round?"

"What if they're still working together," Damon proposed.

"You mean the assassination was just an act?" Stefan said confused. "But why would they want to fool us?"

"Someone get the kids. I think I just figured something out," Damon replied.

"No need to. We're already here," Anna said and she and Jeremy entered the parlor. "Just so you know I'm not a kid."

""You turned when you were about his age."

"But in my mind is 300 years old. Older than you," Anna clarified. "So what great thing did you figure out?"

"It doesn't make any sense. Are you really saying that Katherine helped John activate the device?" Elena asked.

""She wants the town to feel safe for a while, to know that all vampires were caught and killed. No one would expect her because she arrived after the roar."

"You're joking, right? With Katherine back in town vampire-related activities like killings and missing people won't stop," Anna objected.

"That's the flaw in her plan. But with John in the council she can be sure he won't go up against her," Damon explained.

"But the council was originally founded to find and kill vampires. John is afraid of Katherine but still seems to hold on to the original values," Elena said.

"It is his only way to fight back," Stefan said.

"He's a double agent," Alaric agreed.

"Yeah but just because he's against Katherine it doesn't mean we can trust him," Elena reminded them.

Damon looked at Anna, slightly surprised. "You're so silent."

On second glance you could see that Anna was shaking, apparently with fury. "So Katherine ordered John to kill all vampires in Mystic Falls including my mom and me so that she can walk around as she pleases?"

"That's what I think," Damon confirmed.

"That bitch! My mom used to be best friends with her! Where's she? I wan to kill her!" Anna fumed.

Jeremy put his arms around her. "Anna, calm down."

She struggled against him. "Let go of me!"

"Calm down. Now!" Damon ordered loudly and Anna fell silent. "You're the very last person to go up against Katherine. Besides, you're not the only one who wants her dead."

"Oh really, Damon," Stefan said skeptically. "And you really count yourself among that group of people?"

"At least I didn't want to sleep with her the second I saw her!" Damon countered.

"Shut up!" Elena shouted now. "We all want her dead for different reasons. But you, two are preoccupied because of your weakness to her."

"What weakness?"

"You still have feelings for her. I'm not dumb," Elena clarified. "They don't disappear from one day to another. And in case we ever get close enough to kill her you two would be a risk factor."

"A risk factor?" Damon mocked, raising a brow.

"She's right," Alaric agreed with Elena. "If you two were cops they'd take the case from you and give it to someone else. You endanger the mission because you're preoccupied."

"So are you," Damon reminded Elena. "Not so long ago you were like Anna. You wanted to go and kill her for torturing your family."

"Exactly. What I'm trying to say is that if we decide to go up against her we mustn't let our emotions take over. We have to keep a clear head and focus on our goal," Elena concluded.

"Nicely said. Agreed," Damon replied. "I'll go talk to Liz. Maybe she has some friends who can share information on what's going on in town."

"Good idea," Alaric said. "I'm going, too. I'm going to pick Jenna up from work. Just in case… well you know."

He and Damon said bye and left. A moment later Jeremy and Anna decided to go upstairs, leaving Stefan and Elena alone.

"You okay?" Stefan asked and wanted to sit down beside her, probably to take her into his arms and give her comfort but Elena refused.

"No. I'm sorry but I need to be alone for a while. Can't you go feed or something?"

"Sure," he said and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry too much, okay? See you later."

And then he left, too and Elena felt like she could breathe for the first time in hours.

* * *

Alaric had told Damon to try the Grill because he had seen Liz enter it before. So Damon went straight to the Grill and indeed for her there with a man he didn't know at the bar.

"Daytime drinking?" he said, feigning a scolding tone.

"Damon. Take a seat," she said, patting the stool on her left. He sat down. "Damon, meet my husband George," she introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Damon said politely, shaking George's hand.

"Likewise," he agreed. "So you're the one who saved our daughter. Thank you for that."

"Turns out George knew about the vampires long before me," Liz explained. "I convinced him that you're posing no threat us." So they trusted him.

"Good to know we have allies from the other side," George confirmed.

"I switched sides," Damon admitted. "At some point the will to survive overpowered my instincts. But it's a choice every vampire has to make. As incredible as it sounds there are good and bad vampires like good and bad humans."

"Makes sense."

"I heard about your suspension," Damon began.

"Yeah, well, I chose a side and it turns out John chose the other one," Liz said sadly.

"We just talked to him again but he wouldn't budge," George told him. "And Caroline is hiding in her mansion and mourning Richard. We can't reach her."

"Even if we got to talk to her we wouldn't achieve anything. I told you he brainwashed them somehow," Liz pointed out. "Carol would never release me from my duties. I didn't do anything wrong. I'm a good sheriff."

"Without a doubt," George affirmed and patted her back. "Otherwise I wouldn't have transferred my duties to you. The position of the sheriff was always held by the Forbes family as you may know," he added to Damon who nodded.

"I have a question. Do you have any friends from the station or in the council who can give you information on what's going on?" Damon inquired. "I'd like to know if Katherine, the vampire I told your wife about, is trying to keep a low profile for a change."

"Improbable," Liz objected. "He probably brainwashed them all."

"What do you mean by brainwash?" Damon wanted to know.

"The guard in front of the council building, Jackson, he used to be one of my deputies but when I met him yesterday he didn't even recognize me just as if his memory of me was gone," Liz told him. "I don't know how you call that but I call it brainwashing."

"Or compulsion," Damon mused aloud.

"Excuse me?"

"I have reason to assume that they're working together. Katherine and John."

"The town's dirtbag and the biggest threat?"

"Exactly."

"Perfect…"

"I think we can make some loyal contacts," George supposed.

"Good." Damon smiled and then repeated George's words from earlier. "Good to have some allies from the other side."

George smiled. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Thanks," Damon replied, accepting the offer.

* * *

With no-one around Elena could think about the things that were on her mind. She felt so lonely although she wasn't. The thing was that she had lost all the people whose company had made her feel normal. Like Caroline and Matt or Bonnie. Bonnie was a witch but ever since her grandmother died she hadn't practiced her craft very often because she wanted to be normal, too. And now her friendship with Caroline was over because she was afraid of them. Jenna was taken care of by Alaric and Jeremy was here with them, deeply buried into the madness.

Everything just because of one single woman. Katherine had affected her whole life. And it made Elena furious. A while ago she had spoken so philosophically but in fact she had only been denying herself. Damon was right. She, too, was blinded by her emotions. They pushed her. They were the only reason that involved her into the story.

She wanted to get out of it. Didn't want to have anything to do with it any longer. But there was only one way to put an end to it.

Katherine had to die.

The sooner the better.

* * *

_Okay, when writing this I found this rather confusing so I'll try to explain the whole thing again. Katherine and John are working together. She stabbed him to make everyone believe she was on the side of the dead vampires but she isn't. He wanted him to kill all the other vampires in town to wants the people in town to feel safe for a whle before Katherine will attack them unexpectedly. _

_John is being an *** as usually. But Liz and her husband won't accept Liz' suspension without a fight. I know I've read of Mr Forbes somewhere on the net but I didn't find that page again so I just made his name up. But if someone knows his real name, please tell me then I'll replace it. _

_Current status: Chapter 48 online, chapter 49 & 50 in progress. I'm planning to have uploaded them by the end of this week. If you're lucky one tomorrow and one the day after tomorrow._

_And now a little spoiler alert: The next two chapters will contain several (romantic) Delena moments but no, this isn't the event yet. That is still to come. _

_Which reminds me of something. I want to know your opinion on something I've thought about. While I was watching Heroes I had an idea for this fanfic concerning a time travel. Bonnie would cast a spell that sends Damon back in time in order to change history. But I'm not sure if it is too absurd in The Vampire Diaries. Tell me if I should include it or not._

_Yours Asu_


	49. Tonight I Love You

_Hi, everyone! I promised you some Delena moments in this chapter so here you go! When I finished the last scene I had tears in my eyes because it is so sweet. I hope you feel the same. But please don't cry! XD Enjoy!_

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* * *

Chapter 49: Tonight I Love You**

When Damon returned home he found Elena just like before he had left. She was sitting on the couch in the parlor, staring into the fire.

"You alone?" he asked and sat down beside her.

"Yeah. I asked Stefan to leave. I wanted to think about something."

"Oh, you want me to leave, too?"

"No, it's okay. Stay. How'd it go?"

"We have some allies on the other side if we're lucky," he told her.

"That's good."

"Yeah. What are you thinking about?" he wanted to know.

"Everything," she answered airily.

"Give yourself a break, Elena," he said.

"Sorry, no can do. I have a question for you." She turned to him expectantly.

"Then spill."

"I've been wondering something," she said hesitantly. "When we were at the hospital you told me you met Katherine in front of our house and Jenna invited her inside. But… I don't get why you let her enter… although you knew it was her."

Damon moaned. "Not now, Elena."

"If not now then when?" she demanded. "What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying!"

"I said_ not now_!" he barked and startled Elena.

"Okay, fine," she spat. "I just thought we could tell each other everything. I thought I could trust you."

She got to her feet and left.

* * *

This was how it went all the following day long. Damon attempted to start a conversation but Elena simply ignored him, giving him the once-over. She refused to talk to him until he was willing to give her the answer that she was waiting for.

At some point he admitted defeat to himself and wanted to tell her honestly but she didn't think he was serious and refused to talk to him nonetheless. She was leaving him no choice. If she really wanted to know what had happened then she would have to learn it the hard way.

When night had fallen upon Mystic Falls Damon entered Elena's bedroom. Quiet and careful not to wake her up he sneaked up to her bed. He looked down at Elena's sleeping form. A smile crawled upon his lips. She looked so peaceful while sleeping. For a moment a pang of guilt shot through him because he would disturb this peace now.

He bent over her and leant in. His fingers clasped the piece of jewelry around her neck. Carefully not to touch her he opened the closure with a quiet click. Slowly he pulled on the strings and fully removed the jewelry from her neck. He put it on the bedside table and turned on the light. Elena grimaced in her sleep but didn't wake up. Damon turned to face her and started using his powers to get into her mind.

* * *

_Elena's dream…_

_Elena was standing in front of her house. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt, dark-blue jeans and a leather jacket she didn't recognize and she was carrying a bag that seemed to contain a dress. Elena remembered this night. It was the night of Founder's day._

_She was approaching the front door now without telling her body to move. She tired to stop but her legs wouldn't listen. As she was approaching the house the front door opened and Damon stepped outside. Their gazes met._

_"What are you doing here?" Elena heard her own voice asking._

_"I… failed a feeble attempt to doing the right thing," Damon answered. He sounded so sad._

_"Which was…?" Elena inquired but he shook his head._

_"It's not important. Let me take this for you," he offered, took the dress and her bag and put it on the swing on the porch._

_"Thank you."_

_He turned around. "You know… I came into this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight I found myself wanting to protect it. How's that happened?"_

_He met her gaze with a confused one of his own. Elena opened her mouth to say something but Damon beat her to it. "I'm not a hero, Elena. I don't do good. It's not… in me."_

_Elena thought he said it like he had doubts about it. She definitely did._

_"Maybe it is," she encouraged him but Damon shook his head again._

_"No. No that's reserved for my brother and you and Bonnie." He sighed. "Even though she has all reason to hate me still she helped Stefan save me."_

_"Why do you sound so surprised?"_

_What? Did she really just say that? Of course Bonnie hated Damon for being responsible for her Grams' death. Damon didn't frown at her question. He simply answered it._

_"Cause she did it for you." Elena was silent. She looked at him, waiting for more. "Which means…?" He slowly approached her. "Somewhere along the way… you decided that I was worth saving…" Elena felt like her heart was going to break. His voice sounded so shaky. His whole appearance seemed to be so fragile and vulnerable. She wanted to hug him like back then in the woods and assure him that he was indeed worth saving. "And I wanted to thank you… for that."_

_"You're welcome."_

_That was it? You're welcome? She was dying to say so much more but no sound would escape her lips. Damon was still giving her this sad look. She could hardly stand it._

_And then suddenly he leant in and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. Elena's heart skipped a beat and her mind was screaming at her. He's kissing you! Damon's kissing you! Damon's lips lingered on her cheek for a few more seconds. Then he pulled away but his face was still very close. Their gazes bore into each other as Damon slowly leant in again. Elena's eyes alternated between his eyes and his lips. There was chemistry between them. The tension was so strong. Elena knew what was going to happen would be wrong for so many reasons but she felt unable to protest or back away. Damon's gaze was burning before he closed his eyes and the last distance between them. When his lips touched hers Elena's heart stopped completely. Her eyes closed to savor the moment. After a few seconds Damon wanted to pull away but Elena grabbed his lips with hers and kissed him back._

_At once the kiss grew deeper and more passionate. Damon increased the pressure on her lips and cupped her cheek with his hand. A firework started in Elena's stomach. The kiss was so intense that it evoked so many emotions in her: joy… passion… love…_

_And then out of sudden it ended way too soon when the front door opened, making them pull apart.

* * *

_

Elena woke up with a startle. She bolted up, breathing hard and clutching her heart with both hands. It was beating fast, skipping several beats in the process.

_It was a dream_, she thought. _It was only a dream._

Her head turned to the side. Why was her lamp still on? She remembered switching it off. And why was her verveine necklace lying on the bedside table? She never took it off. Panic started to overwhelm her. Someone was messing with her…

Her hand reached out to grab the necklace but it stopped halfway when she caught sight of a little note next to it. She frowned, grabbed the piece of paper and read it.

_I wish it had been you…_

Elena started to tremble because of the emotions she was holding inside. Hot tears streamed down her face and she realized that her dream had been real, had actually happened before and was now part of someone's memories. She also realized that all the emotions she had felt during that moment hadn't originally been hers but reflections of…

"Damon." She cleared her throat and raised her voice. "Damon! Are you still there? Please come to me!"

Some seconds passed then Damon appeared in her bedroom. He had lowered his gaze but lifted it when he heard her sobbing. He grimaced at the sight of her crying before he walked over to her, took the necklace and hung it back around her neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But you wouldn't listen to me and I couldn't figure out a different way to let you know what happened."

Elena nodded. "Katherine."

"She ruined everything."

Silence fell upon them. Elena couldn't bear it. It was driving crazy.

"Can we talk about it?"

"It's nothing worth talking about," Damon rejected.

"I think it is," Elena insisted and patted the space next to her on the bed. "Sit with me, please."

Damon hesitated for a moment but then he sat down beside her. He looked at her, pursing his lips. He wouldn't be the one to start the conversation so he waited for her to speak again which she did after a while.

"I don't know what to say," she began.

"Really, there's no need."

"Yes, there is. Look, I'm a little shocked, okay? But I want to talk about it because I want to tell you a couple of things Katherine wasn't empathic enough to think off." Damon looked at her expectantly. "I don't find it very surprising that you wanted to protect the town. After all it's your home. It's always been."

"It didn't use to for a very long time," Damon corrected.

"But it is now. Because Stefan's here and–"

"And you," Damon finished the sentence for her.

"Yeah…" Elena stared at her blanket for a moment. "We're friends, Damon and… I'm always here for you. You were right I really thought you were worth saving. I didn't want you to die." Damon was silent, anticipating more. "I know I said you were a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities…" Damon smirked. "But I realized that it isn't true. You do have redeeming qualities, Damon." His smirk disappeared. His face was blank. "You've changed so much, Damon. You are a hero in some way. Remember when you saved me from Noah? Or how you saved me from complete humiliation at the pageant? And during the last couple of months you did so much good for Stefan's sake and for mine. It is very much in you. Your humanity. Right here." She raised her hand and placed it on Damon's chest, on the spot where his heart was supposed to be. "And you have no idea how happy it makes me everytime I see a glimpse of humanity radiating from you. I've made it my goal to save you, Damon. And when you tell me that you're glad about it… and even thank me for it… you couldn't give me any more back…"

She gave him a warm smile which he hesitantly returned. She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Damon was on his way to redemption. She could feel it. She had led him onto this road and with her help he would become a better person. She had already forgiven him for hurting her and her friends… for turning her mother into a vampire… for all the mess he had made in her town… She knew everything he had done before they had become friends had been out of love and now everything he did was out of love… for her. And his actions only emphasized his love for her. How he had been protecting her from Katherine… how he'd helped her get along with her brother again… Deep inside him Damon's heart was pure, human. And that would never change as long as she was with him.

Their gazes were locked. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, getting lost in them.

"Thank you," Damon whispered now and leant slowly in.

Elena held her breath. She felt like she was back in the dream. It was so similar… The moment Damon's lips touched her cheek Elena's heart stopped. She was completely still, enjoying every seconds of his caressing. He pulled away after what seemed like eternity and gave her an insecure look, waiting for her reaction. A warm smile spread across Elena's face.

"Now it was me," she said softly.

Damon's face lit up and he smiled. A genuine smile was on his lips.

"It's late. You should get some sleep," he told her, looking at her alarm clock that said it was 5am.

Elena nodded though she would have rather stayed up and be with him. Damon got up and Elena crawled under the blanket. He walked to her window and turned around to face her.

"I'll try to be good," he promised. "For you…"

He flashed a smile to her and then he left. Elena stared at the spot where he had vanished and whispered "Thank you."

* * *

_Thursday…_

Elena was standing on the balcony that was attached to her bedroom and enjoying the view. The sun had just set over the trees of the woods. It was beautiful.

"You do realize that by standing on my porch you're invading my personal space?" Damon's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Right, the porch was also attached to Damon's room.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was just…" She turned around to leave but Damon gently stopped her.

"I'm just joking," he said, standing beside her. "Technically it isn't my porch anyway."

"Just because I bought this house it doesn't mean that you have to give up on everything. I won't invade your personal space. It's just… I told you before. I like the view."

"Yeah, I remember that." He recalled that day. "You thought we had slept together."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did. And then you realized that it would've been too weird that we got dressed before falling asleep afterwards."

"Right." She sighed and let her gaze wander around the woods. "Damon?"

"Mmh?"

"Do you sometimes think about the time when Stefan was gone?" Elena asked.

"Yeah… Back then we rocked!"

Elena couldn't help but smile when she became aware of the fact that she liked the sound of him saying _we_ when meaning the two of them.

"Yeah. We dance… We went on roadtrips… We had so much fun… We were so carefree… Nothing to worry about." Her gaze got glassy. "I wish we could go back to that time."

"Elena…" Tears were running down her face now and he didn't know what to do. "Come on, sit down," he said and gently led her to the wall where they sat down.

"I want it back," Elena went on. "That feeling. Stefan doesn't have to leave. Just… She wasn't here back then. We, you, my family, everyone was safe. We had nothing to worry about… No one to fear… no one to despise…" She turned to Damon and put her arms around him. "You don't have to say anything. Just… hold me."

So he did. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She was sobbing softly into his chest as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"We can't go back to that time," he said after a while. "But we will defeat Katherine. She'll get what she deserves. This I promise you."

"Thank you." She wasn't crying anymore but didn't let go of him, either. "For being here with me."

She didn't know it but she was making it difficult for him to keep composure. When she said those things to him he was weak. As weak as he had been when he had kissed Katherine, believing she was her.

Elena let go of him now and took a deep breath. She then took something out of her pocket and put it on the floor before them. It was her acceptance to the summer program.

"I was looking for something else and then I found this," she told Damon. "I can hardly believe I thought of this as important."

"It is important," Damon insisted. "Very important."

"But it means nothing compared to what we're facing. I can't possibly go now when Katherine is back, maybe trying to use my family and friends to get to me."

"Elena–" Damon began.

"I know you said I shouldn't put off my future because of this but I couldn't rest a minute–"

"Don't worry about it," Damon cut her off. "You forget Stefan and me. We'll take care of Katherine while you're gone. We'll keep her busy. We'll protect the people you care about." Elena opened her mouth to object but he shook his head. "No, it's better if you go. You're safe in…" He took a look at the document to find out where exactly she was going to spend the summer. "San Francisco. You'll have six weeks with nothing to worry about. You can count on us. You're going, alright? You _deserve_ to go."

New tears were running down her face but out of happiness this time.

"Damon," she began, probably to thank him but he silenced her by placing a finger on her delicate lips.

"Shh. You don't need to say anything. Just don't cry anymore, okay?" he whispered.

She nodded and smiled at him. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes and Damon rested his head on hers and closed his eyes as well.

_It's a beautiful night and I'm opened up_

_The look in your eyes says so much_

_Nothing can touch us out here_

"It's a nice song," he said after a while when he listened to the song playing in the stereo he had lent her.

"Mmm," she agreed, snuggling into him.

_I need to hold you, my dear_

_Let's just take tonight, tonight slow_

'_Cause I want to see where this, where this goes_

_I need you_

_I'd give you today but it's not mine yet_

_I__ ask you to stay here with me till then_

_I think I'm falling for you_

_I need you_

_I just want to look in your eyes and see_

_All that you have looking back at me_

_I think tonight__ I love you_

_I love you_

_Tell me the chance hasn't passed us by_

'_Cause baby, the stars have never shined so bright_

_Nothing can stop us out here_

_Let's just take tonight, tonight slow_

_I want to see where this, where this goes_

_I need you_

_I'd give you today but it's not mine yet_

_I__ ask you to stay here with me till then_

_I think I'm falling for you_

_I just want to look in your eyes and see_

_All that you have looking back at me_

_I think tonight__ I love you_

_I love you_

_Just breathe in, you'll be fine_

_I'm right here by your side_

_I love you_

_Just breathe in, _

_You'll be fine_

_I love you_

_I'd give you today but it's not mine yet_

_I__ ask you to stay here with me till then_

_I think tonight__ I love you  
_

_I love you

* * *

_

_How did you like it? Did I promise you too much?_

_The next chapter will feature Elena's last day in Mystic Falls before she will set off to San Francisco and a little bit about her activities there. _

_I'll try to upload it on Saturday but I won't promise anything because I'll be pretty busy helping a friend adjust herself in a new town. _

_Until Saturday_

_Yours Asu_


	50. A Perfect Summer

_I'm so sorry for the delay! I just couldn't find the right words. That really sucks. But delayed by 1 day is still acceptable, right? Now here you go. Enjoy!_**  


* * *

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**Chapter 50: A Perfect Summer**

It was Friday and Elena was preparing herself for the summer. She packed her suitcase, recharged her laptop and compiled a selection of music on her iPod. Little did she know that she would have visitors before she left.

The moment John got out of his car Isobel appeared in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" they asked slightly amused about the coincidence.

"Probably the same like you. I'm here to see our daughter," John stated. "Are you here on Katherine's behalf?"

"No, I have my own reasons to see her," Isobel declared. "You?"

"Likewise. So you came back just to talk to her?"

"I never left, John," she told him. "I left town when you activated the device but then I came back to see if you succeeded in doing your job which you didn't. You failed miserably, John. Katherine was very angry with you but you know that already. I however didn't get the chance to let you feel my wrath. My order was clear, John."

"I don't know why Stefan didn't get caught by the deputies or how Damon got out of the flames," he defended himself.

"Try the witchy friend," Isobel said. "I told you about her. But I'll deal with you later. First I want to see my daughter."

She started to walk around the house.

"Where are you going?" John asked bemused, following her.

"The door is locked and Elena wouldn't invite me in anyway so…"

She looked up at the balcony. John followed her gaze.

"The back porch? Can you take me up there?" he asked her.

"She sighed, slightly irritated but grabbed his arm and rushed up the back porch.

Just in that moment the door opened and Elena entered her bedroom with a pile of clothes in her arms.

"I knew you're here. Stefan and Damon heard you coming. Get off of my porch."

"Elena–" John began and stepped toward her.

"Stay where you are!" she threatened. "Stefan and Damon are close. I don't even need to call them. They'll react to my emotions and throw you out in a second."

"We're just here to talk, sweetheart."

"Stop. Calling. Me. That," Elena snapped while putting the clothes into her suitcase. "I know why you're here. But I refuse. Get the hell out of here before I change my mind and give them a free pass to do with you whatever they want. Death and torture included," she added menacingly.

"We're not here on Katherine's behalf if you think that."

Elena faked a laugh. "No, of course not."

"No, really–"

"Save it, okay? I'm not dumb."

She continued to pack her suitcase, ignoring them.

"Are you going somewhere?" John changed the subject.

Elena's head shot up. "Yeah, I am. And if one of you informs Katherine about my whereabouts I swear I'll–"

"We won't," Isobel assured her.

"Then why are you here?" Elena demanded.

"I came to see you," Isobel answered. "Just to see you."

"And I came to talk," John stated.

"Aha," Elena said and finished packing. She closed her suitcase and then she met their gazes with an icy glare. "I'm through with you both of you. You're just Katherine's minions. Neither of you will _ever_ be a real part of my life. You might be my biological parents but I already had parents who were always there when I needed them and whom I loved very much." She looked at Isobel. "You chose them well." I don't want either of you to interfere in my life anymore. I am already involved with vampires. Even if you don't want this life for me you can't do anything about it." Isobel and John were silent. "Who knows maybe one day I want to become one, too and neither of you will be able to stop me." She turned to John. "And you, don't you feel the slightest ashamed of yourself? Not for my sake but for Jeremy's. For your interest he tried to kill himself because you staked his girlfriend! And now you're causing even more misery in this town! Get the hell lost!"

She looked expectantly at them. They exchanged a glance.

"We'll come back later when you're in a better mood," Isobel said, grabbed John and jumped off the porch. She put John on the ground and rushed up again. "It might raise my reputation if I promise you not to tell Katherine who you're hiding in here," she said quietly to Elena.

"And what do you demand in return?" Elena inquired suspiciously.

"I'll think about it. Have a nice vacation," Isobel replied and joined John on the ground by his car.

"She's got the aggression from you," he told her.

"And the stubbornness from you," Isobel countered unperturbed. "Take care of her when she gets back and make sure she does _not_ turn," she added menacingly. "Don't fail again."

"Where are you going?" John asked. "Do you really think you can escape Katherine?"

"Katherine's got more important things on her mind right now," Isobel replied. "She doesn't care whether I'm around or not. And if she does I'll try to lure her away from Elena while she's on vacation."

"Good luck," John commented skeptically.

Isobel nodded and rushed away and John got into his car and left, too.

* * *

"Are they gone?" Elena asked while carrying her suitcase down the stairs.

"Just left," Stefan confirmed. "Here, let me help you."

He took the suitcase from her and carried it downstairs into the hallway where Damon, Jeremy and Anna were already waiting.

"Thanks. Isobel knows about Anna," she told them. "But she promised not to tell Katherine."

"She's going to blackmail you," Damon predicted.

"Definitely," Elena affirmed and checked her bag for the plane ticket and information on the summer program including housing. "All set," she announced happily and opened her arms to say goodbye to her brother and Anna.

"Have a nice vacation," she said to them, hugged them and then followed Damon and Stefan outside. They would take her to the airport in Richmond. Behind her Jeremy shut the door.

"Hmm," Stefan mused aloud. "Which car?"

"_My_ car," Damon answered in a tone that allowed no contradiction.

"Got something less ostentatious?" Stefan argued.

"No way," Damon rejected. "Elena's going on vacation and we'll take her there in a vacational car."

Stefan sighed in defeat and loaded Elena's baggage into the trunk of Damon's car. Damon tossed him the keys and held the door on the passenger's side open for Elena.

"Here you go," he said as she climbed onto the backseat. "You're now our very own V.I.P."

Elena smiled, shaking her head while Stefan and Damon got into the car. Stefan started the engine and steered Damon's Mustang in the direction of Richmond.

"Oh, before I forget. As I V.I.P you'll need original V.I.P sunglasses," Damon said and handed Elena Ray-Bans sunglasses.

"I'm not a V.I.P, Damon," Elena replied slightly amused.

"You're gonna need them anyway," he insisted.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Out of the corner of his eye Stefan shot an irritated glance at Damon who chose to ignore it and put on his own Ray-Bans.

The ride to Richmond was quiet and uneventful. Elena stretched out on the backseat, enjoying the sun. Damon simply observed the landscape and Stefan kept his eyes on the road. However he did look a little pissed.

* * *

One hour later they arrived at the airport where Elena checked in and gave her baggage up, hoping it would arrive with her in California. She still had half an hour before her departure to Atlanta where she would change into the plane to San Francisco. So they went straight to the boarding area.

"Do you want me to get you a souvenir?" Elena asked the boys.

"Nah, I've been there so often. The image is perfectly clear in my head," Damon waved it off.

"Okay. Stefan?"

"Just come back happy and healthy that's all I want," he said and hugged her tightly. "Call me when you arrived in your dorm."

"I will," Elena promised.

They kissed and then Elena turned to Damon.

"Do I get a kiss, too?" he asked hopefully, smirking at her.

"No, you get a hug."

"It was worth a try." He shrugged and hugged her.

"Thank you. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't pushed me."

"You owe me a college acceptation."

"I'll give my best," she assured and hugged him back tightly before letting go. "Take care of everyone while I'm gone and stay away from Katherine," she added, already walking toward the boarding area. She showed her ticket to the ground staff and entered the boarding area. Smiling she waved at the two boys before turning around and walking out of their sight to get on board.

* * *

_1 week later__…_

"Are they gone?" Jeremy asked when he met Anna in the parlor on Friday night.

"Yup," Anna confirmed and handed him a piece of paper. "They left a message."

_There's enough food and blood in the kitchen and the basement for five weeks so neither of you will starve while we're gone. _

_Whatever you do… NOT on my Couch and NOT on my CARPET! They're antique!_

_Damon_

Jeremy met Anna's gaze and they burst out laughing.

* * *

_Saturday afternoon, PDT__, Golden Gate National Recreation Area…_

Elena was standing on a small hill where she could admire the town's landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge while she was on her cell phone talking to Damon.

_"Where are you right now? What do you see?"_ Damon asked her.

"Uh, I'm on some hill, I think and I can see the Golden Gate Bridge. I think I saw a sign with 'Golden Gate National Recreation Area' inscribed on it."

_"Ah, I know where that is."_

"Well, I better hang up now. I did find the way here but I'm not sure if I'll find the way back," she told him.

_"I'll guide you."_

"Huh?"

_"Turn around."_

Elena turned around and started beaming. There he was, Damon in all his glory, smirking at her. He hung up and put his phone into his pocket. Elena did the same before she ran toward him and threw her arms around him.

"Easy, tiger," Damon chuckled, trying not to lose his balance. Any more of these hugs and he would get dizzy. She let go of him quickly though.

"I can't believe you're here." She smiled widely at him but then her brows furrowed. "Why are you here?"

"Well, everyone's safe back home and Stefan and I couldn't stand to see Katherine so we packed and came," he told her.

"So both of you will be staying here… all summer… with me?" she asked.

"Yup," he confirmed smirking at her and was happy to see her beaming again.

* * *

This year's summer turned out to be the best in Elena's life. During the week she learned how to improve her writing by professional skills and worked hard for her future. And on weekends she hung out with the Salvatore brother, preferably on Saturdays with Damon and on Sundays with Stefan.

When she was with Damon they went on roadtrips. Damon showed Elena the beauty of California and how to have fun there (dancing and drinking included). Whereas the Sundays with Stefan were less wild. Mostly they simply hung out at the house he and Damon had rented or took a walk along the beach.

It was a perfect summer.

* * *

"I wish I could stay," Elena said woefully when they were on the plane back home. "I can't believe the summer's already over. Time went by so fast."

"Don't be sad. We can always come back if you like," Stefan offered.

"It's too expensive," she rejected. He gave her a look. "No, I won't accept that you pay for it."

He sighed and shrugged.

"And if I bought a house there?" Damon asked, doing his thing.

"Damon!"

"Gotcha!" he said triumphantly. "You hesitated."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did," he persisted.

"Fine, I did," she admitted. "But I don't want you to spend so much money for my sake."

"It's not like I'd let the money rot on our bank account. Either I spend it for your sake or something else," he replied.

"Glad to hear you work so reasonably with our inheritance," Stefan chimed in sourly.

"I'm living on the interest," Damon told him unperturbed.

"Do with it what you want," Elena surrendered.

"Then I'll know where we'll go next summer," Damon said grinning.

"Really, you*re too good to me," Elena said. "I had an amazing summer with you. So much fun–"

"We rocked," Damon agreed, smirking at her. Elena recalled the conversation she had had with him on the porch of the boarding house five weeks ago. Damon had somehow managed to take her back to that time when nothing had mattered, the time she had felt so carefree.

And now they were back in the present and all her problems were back. Just like Damon had once told her. "Just step away from your life for five minutes. Problems are still gonna be there when you get back."

These five weeks in San Francisco had been the best five minutes of her life. They not only distracted but also braced her. Now Elena felt strong enough to face everything.

"And you benefitted from the program, too," Stefan concluded her enumeration.

"Right. I'm shortlisted which means I'm as good as in," she told them beaming. "Which means I paid my dues to you," she added to Damon.

"I guess so," he agreed. "I'm glad my efforts to get you into the program weren't for nothing."

"Exactly. I love you," Elena said, squeezing a hand of each brother. "You know I really like this ménage-á-threesome thing." Damon and Stefan stared at her in shock and quickly let go of her hand. Elena laughed. "Just joking. You should have seen your faces. It was priceless!"

"Hehe," Damon commented, suddenly feeling very uneasy and a glance at his brother told him that he didn't find the current development amusing, either.

Because none of them was willing to share Elena with the other one, let alone give her up without a fight.

* * *

_50 chapters! I still can't believe it! Thank you so much for so many (451!) reviews! _

_I think if I make another video to thank you it will convey more than just words. I'll let you know when and where I've uploaded when it's time._

_After 50 chapters I think I'd better take a break for a while. Vacation will be over a week from Monday . And I still have to study a little bit..._

_I can't say when I'll upload another chapter so please be patient. _

_Love you! xxx_

_Yours Asu_

_P.S My favorite line in this chapter was part of Damon's message _"Whatever you do... NOT on my Couch and NOT on my CARPET! They're antique!"_ I'd really like to know what you liked most in this fanfiction. What was your favorite line or moment? Tell me!_


	51. If You Only Knew

_I'm back! With a new, teaser chapter! After that shocking episode I simply HAD to write again to distract me. It was so sad! ;_; But now let's cut to my little fanfiction that you seem to love so much for which I'm very grateful. _

_I decided to restart with a little teaser chapter and a diary entry by Elena. Six weeks have passed since Elena and the brothers returned from San Francisco. The entry will tell something about Elena's emotions at that time. Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 51: If You Only Knew**

_If you only knew  
How many times I counted  
All the words that went wrong  
If you only knew  
How I refuse to let you go  
Even though you're gone_

_I__t's 4:03 and I can't sleep_

_Without you next to me_

_I toss and turn like the sea_

_If I drown tonight_

_Bring me back to life_

_Breathe your breath in me_

_The only thing that I still believe in is you_

_If you only knew

* * *

_

_Dear Diary,_

_it's been six weeks and nothing's changed._

_I wake up every day and I feel terrible. I can hardly breathe and I feel the urge to cry but the tears won't come. There are none left._

_This sadness is killing me, literally. It's like I was thrown right back to that point when my parents died. I'm that sad, helpless girl again. I can't fight it. These feelings hurt so much. They're crushing me, strangling me, holding me in place, keeping me alive enough to torture me._

_Even hell couldn't be worse._

_They even put me on those stupid pills again but those aren't working, either. They don't have the promised effect. I still feel that heavy weight upon my heart and no matter how many pills I take it doesn't become lighter and I don't get better. I'm trapped in this depression._

_Jenna and Alaric still don't know about my condition. Jeremy and Anna kept their promise not to tell them. I know they're worried about me, especially Jeremy because he has seen me go through this before but it wasn't so bad last time._

_Moving in with Bonnie didn't help, either. I hoped she would distract me a little from the pain but it doesn't work. It's not her fault. It's mine because I don't dare to open myself up to anything. I don't even know what happiness is anymore. I'm too scared to experience it only to get crushed again in the end. I can't take that risk. There's only so little of me left…_

_I know I should be grieving for my boyfriend instead of holding on to something that was so wrong and doomed to fail since the beginning. But I can't. I can't let it go. I can't let **him** go. _

_It's true. You never know what you've got until it's gone…

* * *

_

_I'm mean giving you so much but nothing concrete. I promise you will find out what happened that has left Elena so depressed. Those who watched my trailers probably already know what I'm talking about. _

_I'll try to upload again as soon as I can. _


	52. Payback's A Bitch

_Back with another chapter. Remember Elena's diary entry in the last chapter? We're now jumping back in time to the end of summer vacation. John's in for trouble. Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 52: Payback's A Bitch**

_Six weeks earlier__…_

John entered the police station to talk to the Thurman, the new sheriff, about recent animal attacks. He hated how the recent evens had turned out.

Elena was right, he was only Katherine's minion. She ordered, he executed because he valued his life. But that wasn't all. He also had to clean up the mess she was leaving behind. She really didn't care about keeping a low profile but she didn't need to. Having him control the most influential positions in Mystic Falls (the police station, the Watchers Council and the local government via Carol Lockwood) gave her a free pass to do whatever she wanted. And because he valued his life she could be sure that he would definitely cover up for her. Any vampire traces she left. Mauled victims and missing people en mass.

However as unbelievable as it sounded Katherine wasn't his only problem. Hell, no. There was something else haunting the town.

During the recent full moon period many people had reported two enormous creatures in the woods nearby. Creatures that looked awfully lot like a king-size grizzly bear. Those sightings supported the animal-attack cover for Katherine's actions but he was the only one to know it was a lie. Grizzlies in Mystic Falls, Virginia, go figure… So it must be something else, he thought. He had contemplated asking Katherine about it but dropped it soon. He preferred to have as little to do with her as possible.

The question wouldn't leave his mind, though. He was still thinking about it when he entered Thurman's office. He was so lost in thoughts that it took him a moment to see that Thurman wasn't there. Instead he saw somebody else standing in front of him. Liz Forbes and Mason Lockwood.

"Liz?" he said slightly irritated. "What are you doing here? And where's Thurman?"

"I told you I'd come back, John. Thurman's fired. I'm reclaiming the position of the sheriff," she announced to him.

"You can't. The mayor released you from your duties."

"Yeah about that," Mason chimed in now. "I talked to my sister-in-law and I was very surprised to find that she had been compelled. She couldn't remember signing any of your orders and decisions. Weird, huh?"

"How's that possible?" John feigned ignorance.

"Oh, it's actually pretty simple," Mason said. "You formed an alliance with a vampire who compelled Carol to put you in charge of all executive positions to cover up for her."

"How dare you!" John said indignantly.

"Oh, I dare even more," Mason replied unperturbed. He grabbed John's hands and held them firmly behind his back while pushing him out of the office and toward the cells. Liz unlocked the door and Mason pushed John inside before locking the door again.

"Payback's a bitch," Liz said, smirking.

"You will regret this!" John shouted angrily. "You can't arrest me without an order!"

"I gave that order," Sheriff Forbes declared. "And I've got backup by the mayor of Mystic Falls Mrs. Carol Lockwood who entrusted me with all my former duties. It's all on here," she added showing him a certified document. "It also says here to arrest you and release you from all of your executive positions, including the Watchers Council. Mason's the boss now."

"The pleasure is all mine," Mason teased, grinning. "See, John, we can't afford alliances with vampires. It doesn't correspond to your family history, either. So, until I say differently you're gonna stay here, thinking about which side you want to be on. Oh, and," he added. "I wouldn't ask Katherine for help if I were you. Or even incite her against us for that matter. The Lockwoods still have a history with her and we still remember her very well. So long, John."

Mason and Liz turned their back on him, ignoring his yelling and walked out of the station. Outside the station Liz shook Mason's hand.

"Thank you, Mason," she said, pleased about how well everything had gone down.

"Anytime, Liz," Mason replied smiling. "Have a good day."

"You, too."

Liz got into her car and drove away. For the first time in a while she was really looking forward to her patrol.

What she didn't know was that Mason just like Carol and Tyler Lockwood knew that she was on the side of the vampires as well. But as long as she was against Katherine they would accept it.

For now.

* * *

For Damon, too, the summer had been a perfect opportunity to distract himself from Katherine. It was ironic that after 146 years of searing her he had wanted to avoid her. But actually, he was still hoping he and Katherine would get another chance to start over, mostly because she had insinuated that the last time they had met. He couldn't let her just yet.

But he had to keep a clear head. His main goal was to find out what Katherine was up to. You could never be sure because he changed her mind frequently. From one moment to another she could come up with another game plan.

He also had to catch up on what had happened in Mystic Falls during his absence. Liz was helping him with that. She was keeping him up to date, like today.

_"It feels good to be wearing my badge again."_ She had just told him that she had succeeded in getting her job back. Damon had congratulated her on that.

"I can imagine. Do you any news for me already," Damon asked.

She had. _"Yeah. You know, Mason Lockwood helped me convince Carol that she had been fooled. He was the one who locked up John. And he threatened him and while doing that he said something that got me thinking."_

"Go on."

_"He said his family had a history with Katherine and that they had not forgotten her,"_ Liz reported.

"Now that's something," Damon said.

_"Do you have any idea what he was talking about?"_ Liz wanted to know.

"Not really. I know the Lockwoods got to know Katherine back then but I can't remember anything she did that might have pissed them off. But the fact that the Lockwoods knew that Katherine never ended up in the tomb is quite interesting…"

_"Yeah, I think so, too,"_ Liz agreed.

"Anything else?" Damon asked.

_"Loads. First of all, I talked to Carol this morning. For the first time in weeks. She's still upset about the fact that Richard ended up in the basement although he wasn't a vampire. So am I. It doesn't make any sense to me."_

_It does if you're reviewing the witnesses' statements_, Damon thought. On Founders Day Tyler had been driving he car when the accident had happened. Caroline's boyfriend Matt ha recapped the accident to Elena and had mentioned something about a noise only Tyler had been able to hear. It had given him a migraine that had caused him to lose control of the car. Sounded like the Gilbert device.

For Damon the case was clear. The Lockwoods had a secret. A supernatural secret.

"I guess we know what we're doing now," Damon said into the phone.

_"Find the missing piece,"_ Liz suggested.

"Exactly. You said there was more?"

_"Yeah. I went through Thurman's files, you know the idiot John replaced me by. They included sightings."_

"Sightings?"

_"Of huge grizzly bear in the woods at full moon nights. That's what the witnesses reported. That proves how dumb Thurman really is. I don't know what those people saw but grizzlies in Mystic Falls, like duh."_

"How reliable are the reports?" Damon asked.

_"They were made at four in the morning. Sounds like a joke or too much alcohol if you ask me,"_ Liz judged.

"I agree. Well, thank you for the info, Liz. Keep me up-to-date, please."

_"Of course. You're welcome, Damon."_

Damon hung up and started to think about what he had just learned. Maybe he should get Alaric Saltzman involved into the matter. After all, his wife Isobel had been an expert on paranormal activities. They could do some research together… He searched for Saltzman in his contacts and dialed.

* * *

"Spill, Damon. Whatever it is you're not doing it alone anymore. With Katherine around we have to stick together. She'll try to break us. I won't let that happen."

Damon groaned. "Fine, if you must know. It's about the Lockwoods."

"What about them?"

"Remember the accident that Tyler kid caused on Founders Day? That boy Matt told Elena Tyler had heard a noise that had caused him to lose control of the car. The accident happened during that period of time the Gilbert device was in action. Now put two and two together."

"But the Lockwoods aren't vampires," Stefan objected.

"Bravo, Sherlock. How about something supernatural else?" Damon said irritated.

"That's a little far-fetched, don't you think?"

"Why? Mystic Falls is like a melting pot of all kinds of supernatural species. We have vampires… we have witches…"

"I still don't believe it," Stefan argued. "We've known the Lockwoods for ages. If they were supernatural we'd know."

"Fine," Damon hissed, slowly walking toward the hallway. "If you want to ignore the fact that another supernatural element is haunting Mystic Falls, go ahead but I'll get down to it and reveal the Lockwood family secret."

"Where are you going?"

"Yeah, where are you going?" Elena asked, entering the parlor. She had listened to the most of their conversation.

"I'm going on a roadtrip with the history teacher to Duke University. Your mother was an expert on paranormal activities and since we can't ask her directly we'll be going through her old research," he explained to Elena.

"Good idea," she acknowledged.

"Thank you." He gave her a smugly smile and turned to Stefan. "You'll stay put and try to find out what Katherine is up to. And you better know your limits this time," he added menacingly.

"He does, right, Stefan?" Elena defended her boyfriend.

"Of course I do," he affirmed.

"And we'll make sure of it," Anna promised, rushing in with Jeremy.

"Can I go with you?" Elena asked Damon.

"Um, I don't know," he evaded. "Why would you want to come along?"

"I need to get out of this house," she stated. "Really. I miss the sun and a change of scenery would be perfect. I'm going crazy here."

"Well, I can't risk that happening," Damon said smirking. "Whatever. I don't mind."

Elena smiled. "Do I need anything? How long will we be gone?"

"Three days max," Damon estimated. "Pack something for the nights, too. We'll probably be staying at a hotel so you guys can get some sleep."

"You need sleep, too," Elena reminded him. "Okay, I'll be right back," she said and hurried upstairs.

A quarter of an hour later they were ready to go.

* * *

_You can't imagine how much I'd love to see someone screwing with John the way Liz and Mason did. I think it's my favorite scene in this chapter :)_

_So... Mason, the mystery Lockwood family member seems to know a lot about the family history and about Katherine. And he knows that Liz formed an alliance with vampires. So there's still a lot of potencial. Right now I'm not sure in which direction this part of the plot will proceed..._

_And I'm going along with the TV series' plot again. I had to. I mean, a roadtrip staring Damon, Elena and Alaric? That can only mean fun :)_

_In a review to one of the former chapters someone mentioned he/she would have preferred that Stefan had stayed put over the summer while Damon and Elena enjoy California. Now he's staying put in Mystic Falls while they have some fun elsewhere. I hope that's a litte bit of a comfort :) _

_Until the next time (which will probably next weekend)!_


	53. Soulmates

_I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging for two weeks! Please forgive me and blame my teachers! Fortunately I'm looking forward to two weeks vacation starting next weekend. So I'll be updating more often, I promise!_

_For those who forgot where we were. Damon, Elena and Alaric decided to go to Duke to figure out the Lockwood secret. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 53:**** Soulmates (The Roadtrip Part 1)  
**

"Another roadtrip. Excited, Elena?" Damon asked as they walked outside to meet Alaric.

"You bet," she replied grinning.

They walked over to the car in which Alaric was already waiting.

"I brought a guest. Hope you don't mind," Damon said to him as he got on the passenger seat and Elena on the backseat.

"Hi, Alaric," Elena greeted Elena.

"Hello, Elena," he greeted her back. "All set? Okay, let's go," he added and started the engine.

"Really, you should look for an additional part-time job," Damon complained after a while on the road. "Your teacher salary sucks if this… car is all you can afford."

"Not all of us have a prestige demand and steal luxury goods," Alaric shot back.

"Oh, you hurt you me. You really think I stole my amazing Mustang? No, I honestly bought it with my little small fortune," Damon said.

"Show-off," Alaric grumbled and Damon smirked. "You still haven't told me exactly what Liz told you, why we're heading for Duke," he reminded the vampire.

"It's actually pretty simple," Damon began. "Even your little teacher brain should be able to process it."

"Damon!" Elena hissed from the backseat but Damon ignored her.

"It goes like this. Mayor hears noise only vampires can hear. Mayor gets captured and dragged into the basement. But Mayor isn't affected by the vervain so Mayor's not a vampire."

"We already knew that."

"Right. But the question is, why he heard the noise just like his kid I might add."

"Jeremy showed our ancestor's journal," Elena told them. "There's a drawing of the device in it and a note that says it's harmful to any creatures with supernatural hearing."

"So…" Damon said, giving Alaric a chance to solve the equation.

"So you think the Lockwoods are supernatural," the teacher concluded.

"Bing bing bing! 95 points from a hundred because it took you so long."

"And Isobel–"

"Might have had some knowledge about other supernatural creatures aside from vampires. Maybe we can break into her office at Duke and get some information."

"Why do we have to do that? Why don't we just ask Isobel herself?" Alaric inquired.

"Because," Damon employed a dramatic pause. "we currently don't know which side your lovely wife is on," he explained. "I don't trust her. She's working for Katherine after all."

"You have a point there," Alaric agreed dejectedly.

"You kind of have to see it like a win-win situation," Damon continued. "We'll get information and we'll get to spend some quality time together to catch up."

"We're not on a family trip," the teacher retorted. "Because we're not a family."

"Not yet. But once you get hooked with sweet Jenna and Elena with me we'll be a wonderful, happy –"

"I heard that, Damon," Elena's sharp voice interrupted him.

He turned around to her and wiggled his brows suggestively. "Oh come on, sunshine, it's not impossible."

"Dream on."

"What happened to you giving her pet names?" Alaric demanded, slightly disgusted at the image of Damon and Elena together. Though Isobel was Elena's mother and he wasn't her father he had developed some fatherly feelings for the girl on the backseat. That's why he was looking after her.

Damon grinned.

"No! No, don't tell him, Damon!" Elena protested when Damon turned to the front again, still smirking.

"Actually, I didn't give her that name. Well, actually I did but your wife did it first," Damon answered Alaric's question. "Do you know the literal meaning of the name 'Elena'?" he asked him, ignoring Elena's protest completely.

"No but I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"Gladly. Elena is Italian or Spanish and it means–"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, DAMON!"

Elena's shouting came so unforeseen that Damon hiccupped while suppressing his laughter.

"Language, language, my dear beaming one," he said smirking.

"You're an ass, Damon," Elena snapped irritated, leant back and looked sternly out of the window.

"The beaming one?" Alaric repeated.

"Cute, isn't it?" Damon commented grinning and looked through the mirror back at Elena. "Oh, look now she's pouting…"

Elena chose to ignore him and admire the beautiful landscape instead.

"I think Isobel had a decent reason to her this name," Alaric tried to make it less embarrassing for Elena. "While we're already on it. I guess, Damon's got a meaning, too."

"It does. But I'm not gonna tell you," Damon clarified. Turned to the front he didn't see the devilish grin form on Elena's lips.

"I know it," she let him now in a sing-song voice.

That caught Damon's attention and he turned around to her.

"No, you don't. I never told you."

"You don't need to tell me. I found it out on my own," Elena replied. "There's BING, you know?"

"The Internet knows everything," Alaric agreed.

"You didn't bing my name," Damon said convinced.

"Oh, I did."

"You're bluffing."

"Uh-uh."

"So you know it, huh? Then why don't you tell us, come on," Damon challenged her. "I still bet you're bluffing to get back at me."

"Fine, I will," Elena said. "The Italian meaning of your name is actually pretty sweet and somewhat ironic I might add. The meaning of Damon is–"

Before Elena could finish the sentence Damon had unbuckled his seatbelt, rushed to the backseat and covered Elena's mouth with his hand. At the same time Alaric slammed the brakes hard.

"Damn it, Damon!" he exclaimed unnerved as he slowly pushed the gas pedal again. "Don't rush through the car while I'm driving. You nearly gave me a heart attack here!"

"Sorry," Damon apologized, not sounding apologetic at all. Then he turned to Elena with his hand still on her mouth.

"We better keep this to ourselves," he whispered into her ear. "I have a reputation to protect."

He slowly removed his hand from her mouth, daring her. She glared at him but was silent and he smiled triumphantly.

"I'm back to the front now, Ric."

"Do as you please."

Smirking he rushed back to the front in the blink of an eye.

"It's gotten awfully quiet in here. What happened? Cat got your tongue?" he mocked. No one replied to that. "Fine. Let's see what on your old, rusty radio then," he said and turned on a random station.

* * *

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Stefan stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around to Anna who was fixing him with eagle eyes and crossed arms. "So?"

"Out," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh no, don't pull sarcastic Damon on me. You really suck at it, Stefan," she replied. "And besides, I'm not stupid."

"Don't you think you're taking your job a little too serious?"

"I'm thinking… Nope. You know why, Stefan? Because a Salvatore. And if there's one thing I'm sure of it's that a Salvatore never ignores the presence of Katherine Pierce."

"Wasn't that part of the plan?" Stefan reminded her. "Stay put and find out what she's up to?"

"So that's only reason to go and see her, huh?" Stefan nodded solemnly. Anna's features darkened. "I'm gonna tell Elena about it."

"You won't."

"Watch me," she shot back determined. "She deserves the truth."

Stefan hesitated for a minute. He could just dart for the door but he knew that she would beat him to it and stop him because she was older and therefore much faster. Plus, she was feeding on human blood.

"I can explain it to her," he said then.

Anna laughed darkly. "I'm looking forward to that."

They exchanged one last glare before Stefan opened the door and left.

* * *

"I'm sorry, we only have one double and one single left," the receptionist of the hotel they planned to spend the night at announced.

"Great, we'll take them," Damon said.

"Damon!" Elena protested. She didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Hey, do you want to try a couple more hotels only to find out they're all booked?" he reasoned.

"But–!"

"Thanks," Damon said to the receptionist, took the keys and started to walk casually through the reception.

Alaric and Elena hurried after him.

"Wait, Damon!" Elena said irritated and grabbed his arm to stop him. "How do you imagine this? Who'll get the single?"

A smirk appeared on his face. "Say, Elena, do you believe in Fate?"

"What? Don't change the subject, Damon!"

"Stop playing games, Damon," Alaric told him unnerved.

The vampire ignored him. "I don't usually believe in anything like Fate. But sometimes it leads you places and you just have to accept it." He grabbed his wallet and took out a quarter. "See this coin? It's gonna answer your question, Elena. Let's say heads and I'm going to share a room with the teacher. Tails and I'm gonna share a room with you. Okay? Good."

"No!" Elena objected but he had already tossed the coin.

Holding her breath Elena watched it rise into the air and fall down, tossing and turning on the way before it landed on the carpeted reception floor.

"Tails!" Damon exclaimed happily and retrieved the coin.

"Give me that quarter. I'm sure it's manipulated," Alaric remarked.

"Nope. I guess it's Fate," Damon replied and grabbed Elena's hand.

"No."

Damon ignored her protest like he had several times before and dragged her all the way to their rooms. Out on the hallway they bade Alaric good night and then Damon pushed Elena into their room and closed the door.

Now she was trapped with him much to his pleasure…

* * *

Something told him that he would find Katherine at the Grill so he went there first and he was lucky. He found her there, talking to Matt. She saw him coming though.

"Hey," he said, softly interrupting the conversation.

"Hey," Stefan," Katherine greeted him, imitating Elena perfectly. "See you later, Matt," she added before she started to walk away with Stefan.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked casually.

"Getting acquainted. Did you miss me already?" She gave him her sweetest smile.

"A little," he teased her, returning the smile.

* * *

After the shock about the recent turn of events had subsided, Elena had made herself comfortable on one of the two beds, just relaxing. Damon had occupied the other one and gotten lost in a book.

"So… what are you reading?" Elena asked after a while, trying to start a conversation because she was growing bored.

"Jack London, Call of the Wild," he told her and flashed a smile to her.

"Your favorite."

"You're seeing right through me," he said smirking and closed the book. "So I guess somebody's bored and wants to talk."

"Guilty," Elena admitted sheepishly.

"Fine. Let's talk. What's _your_ favorite book?"

"I can't tell you because I could never narrow them down to a top five but my favorite writers are Fitzgerald and Grisham," she answered.

Damon groaned. "God, it's like I'm talking to my stupid brother."

"Stefan and I have a lot in common," she agreed.

"Sure, he's your soulmate," Damon mocked.

"Why do you always have to mock everything?"

"I don't believe in soulmates," he clarified. "Do you? Do you think Stefan could be yours?"

"I don't know," Elena began. "I'm not willing to say that he definitely is but at the same time I'm not willing to say that he definitely isn't. Did you use to think Katherine could be yours?"

"I don't know…" Damon answered hesitantly. "Maybe. For a period of time I thought so. But as we both know that's a long time ago…" He fell silent thinking about what he had just said and then he turned back at her. "You know, we could soulmates," he proposed.

"I thought you don't believe in soulmates."

"Yeah, I know. But now… thinking about it… we could, couldn't we?"

"It's just, soulmates have a lot in common, you know?" she reminded him.

"That's what I'm talking about. You and Stefan, you have _too much_ in common. It's boring. We on the other hand, we have something…"

"I said that before if I recall that correctly." And she knew she did. "So what do we have? Let's count. First… roadtrips."

"Definitely," Damon agreed.

"Dancing," Elena continued.

"Love it."

Elena searched through her mind for another thing she shared with Damon but didn't come up with anything else.

"Oh, come on, don't pretend there's nothing else. There's much more," Damon said.

"Then why don't you enlighten me," Elena replied smiling.

"Okay, here we go. Partying–"

"I don't know if I really like that," Elena objected.

"Sure as hell you do," Damon insisted. "And so do I. Drunk Elena is our specialty aside from music."

Elena laughed but nodded. "I agree to that. Our taste in music is quite similar. More?"

Damon started to think of more but like Elena before he didn't find anything else.

"Guess, we're not soul mates after all," Elena judged.

Did she sound a little sad about it or was he only imagining it?

"Yes, we are," Damon persisted. He wouldn't give up so soon. "Just give me some time and I'll list all the things we share. You'll see. And in the end they'll mean much more than the cultural interest you share with my brother."

"I'll remind you to it," she promised smiling. "You cute, tame vampire" she added laughing and skillfully avoided the pillow Damon was hurling at her.

* * *

_We've got a feeling between us_

_That's even deeper than love_

_It's higher than any mountain_

_Baby, honesty, harmony... that's what it's made of_

_No one understands me_

_No, not the way that you do_

_You get right down inside of me_

_You're the one I can always turn to_

_We got a special connection_

_That you don't find everyday_

_You read my every expression_

_'Cause when I feel alone_

_You always know the right thing to say_

_We belong together_

_Oh yeah, it's our destiny_

_There'll never be another_

_'Cause I know heaven sent you to me_

_You are the best friend I'll ever find_

_We're one in a million and two of a kind_

_You are my soulmate_

_Now and forever_

_I can feel two hearts beating as one_

_You are my soulmate_

_Birds of a feather_

_Staying together through whatever may come

* * *

_

_I looked the name "Damon" up and all I found was a note that it is of Greek origin and means "tame" in English. My dictionary says it can be used as a synonym for harmless. I have no idea if this is true. Please tell me if it's wrong! _

_"I'm not willing to say that he definitely is but at the same time I'm not willing to say that he definitely isn't." is a quote I stole from an episode of my second favorite TV Show Everwood. I thought it fit in quite well._

_So what do you think? Could Damon and Elena be soulmates?  
_


	54. My Last Goodbye

_Before the title gives you a heart attack, it doesn't refer to Delena, just so you know ;) _

_Here you go. Part 2 of the roadtrip. Hope you'll like it! :)_

* * *

**Chapter 54:**** My Last Goodbye (The Roadtrip Part 2)  
**

The next morning at ten Damon Elena and Alaric entered the library of Duke University and were surprised to find Isobel there. She was sitting at a table together with a foreign girl, bent over a book but when they entered she raised her head and looked at them.

"What's that? Some kind of vampire and hunter bromance?" she mocked at the sight of Damon and her husband together.

Damon met Alaric gaze then they both looked away in disgust.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked suspicious.

"I felt a pull back to my roots. You responded to that call, too, didn't you?" she added to the teacher.

"We have more important reasons to come here," Damon clarified.

"I know," Isobel said, nodding. She closed the book, got up and put it back in the shelf.

"Are you still observing us?" Elena demanded. "Did Katherine send you?"

Isobel shook her head. "No, we actually met by chance. Katherine has no idea where I am. But Katherine knows the answer you're looking for."

"How would you know what we're looking for?"

"Oh, I have a hunch…"

"Is that so?" Damon said. "Then why don't you tell us?"

"Oh no," the vampire woman refused. "You came all the way here. Take your time figuring out yourself. I'm sure Vanessa here will be able to help you out."

"Sure," the girl who obviously knew Isobel agreed chirpily.

Isobel turned to her daughter. "Take a look around. Duke is a great university. You might want to apply here."

"I already know where I'm applying," Elena told her curtly.

"Oh well, you should keep your options open," she continued.

"_No, thank you_," Elena replied coldly. She knew exactly what her mother was doing. She wanted her to become a miniature version of herself but she had forgotten that Elena was a complete different person.

"It's your call," Isobel said, shrugging. Good luck with your problems. I'll leave now."

"It was nice to see you, too," Alaric let her know, irritated.

"Why so passive-aggressive, Ric?"

"Counter question," Alaric shot back. "Why did you erase my memories of our last encounter?"

"You had asked me to," she told him.

"I would never–"

"But you did. Believe me, Ric, it's better this way."

Damon snorted. "He's gonna remember sooner or later what a bitchy wife you were to him."

The vampire woman was silent, her eyes fixed on Elena who was glaring at her.

"I know you think I'm just one of Katherine's minions but that's only half the truth. It'll be like this for as long as Katherine is alive."

"Awww, Damon mocked. "Poor Isobel is only a prisoner who wants to be freed. Do I see a glimpse of humanity there?"

"Wrong," Isobel stated matter-of-factly. "There is no humanity left in me. "What I meant was that as long as I'm working for Katherine, I'm working against you. And should Katherine die I'll live my life far away from yours."

"Is that a deal? Because that could be arranged," Damon said.

And Elena muttered "Nice. You're just leaving again. But oh, right, I forgot, it's your specialty."

"I can stay if you like," Isobel offered.

"I refuse."

Isobel shrugged. "Goodbye," she simply said and left the library with inhuman speed.

Once she was gone Elena turned to Damon. "And I used to think you were a heartless monster."

"I love you, too, Elena," Damon replied smirking, patting her shoulders.

"So," Vanessa attracted their attention. "How may I help you?"

Damon shot a skeptical glance at Alaric. He, too, seemed to think that this overzealous girl in front of them could be of any help.

"Are you a student?" the teacher asked.

"Was. Graduated last year. Isobel was one of my professors before she resigned."

"Resigned?" Alaric repeated stunned. "She officially left?"

"Sure. One day she gave her last lecture and said goodbye."

"Did she share any reasons with you as to why she was leaving?"

"She said it was personal."

Alaric and Damon shared a dark laugh.

"Hey, Ric, in all those years of searching her did you ever consider dropping by and interrogate some students?" Damon mocked the teacher.

"I did," he defended himself. "I asked the principal and he told me he had no idea where she was."

"She obviously compelled him," Damon concluded.

"Figures…"

"Wait, did you say compelled?" Vanessa chirped in. "I read something in Isobel's research about it. It's the way vampires–"

"Tell people what to do. Yeah, honey, we know that already," Damon cut her off.

"Isobel learned that pretty fast," said Alaric who was still a little shocked about the fact that all these years this innocent could have given him an answer to the question whether his wife was dead or alive.

The conversation had reached a point where Vanessa couldn't follow any longer.

"Hang on a second. Isobel is human. She can't compel people."

A smirk spread on Damon's face as he exchanged a glance with Alaric and Elena. "Who wants to tell her?"

Compulsion is a vampire ability. I read that in her research," Vanessa babbled on.

"Sweet, she has no clue," Damon commented.

"Isobel became her research," Alaric explained to Vanessa who stared at him in disbelief.

"No, you're kidding me, right? There's no such thing as vampires. That's why it's called Folklore."

"Sweet," Damon said again. "May I be the one to wake her up? Oh, please."

"Do it fast," replied Elena who couldn't stand Vanessa's ignorance and innocence any longer. "But don't scare her off. We still need her."

Damon flashed a smirk to Vanessa and then he vamped out in front of her.

Vanessa screamed at the sight of the red eyes and the protruding fangs. She had obviously never believed in the existence of vampires. She followed her natural instincts that told her to run and dashed to the door but Alaric grabbed her.

"Please don't hurt me!" she begged.

"Calm down, we wish you no harm," the teacher said. "All we want are some answers to our questions."

"I'd never thought those things are real." She sighed deeply and eyes Damon whose face had changed back to normal with fear.

"Take a seat," Elena offered and helped the girl into a seat. They let her take a few breaths.

"So Isobel is one, too? A vampire?" she asked.

"Yes. Damon actually made her one."

"Wait. Damon? As in _Damon Salvatore_?" Vanessa's eyes widened.

"The one and only," Damon answered, winking and then smirking at his friends he added "I'm famous."

"Isobel mentioned you in her research. And your brother," Vanessa recalled.

"She managed to catch up on a lot of things between giving birth and becoming a vampire," Elena acknowledged.

"No wonder she was obsessed with it," Alaric said, nodding.

"Isobel had a daughter?" Vanessa chipped in.

"She's standing right in front of you," Damon replied with a waving gesture toward Elena. "May I introduce you to the lovely Elena Gilbert."

"You are Isobel's daughter?" Vanessa's eyes widened even more. "Or are you lying to me?" she added suspiciously, her eyes narrowing. "You look a lot like this creepy vampire woman."

"You mean Katherine. Yeah, that's because I'm the descendent of her."

"Wow, a perfect doppelganger," Vanessa admired.

"Yeah. So I guess Isobel mentioned that bitch in her research, too?" Damon concluded.

"Yes, she recorded everything that happened in that town Mystic Falls back in 1864," Vanessa told them. "She's got boxes full of that stuff. I'll show you everything. Follow me to her office," she added and got up.

Isobel's research turned out to be a gold mine for everyone who was genuine interested in vampires. She had kept and written down everything from and about 1864, the following series of animal attacks incidents and background information on vampires and Katherine Pierce.

"Ah, here we go. That might be interesting," Damon said, fishing something out of one of the boxes and passed it to Elena.

It was a book with something imprinted on its cover.

"Petrova?" Elena read aloud. "What's this?"

"Katherine's real family name," Damon answered. "She made Pierce up. Probably to boost her ego."

"Are you saying this is her…?"

"Katherine kept a journal?" Alaric interrupted her amazed.

"Now I know where Stefan picked that habit up and you for that matter," Damon added to Elena. "Let me know what you find. I'm very curious myself."

"Do you have anything on other supernatural creatures aside from the vampires?" Alaric asked Vanessa.

"Well, yeah, if you mean the lycanthropy," she answered.

At the sound of that word all of them immediately stopped snooping through stuff and stared at Vanessa. Now they were the ones who were shocked.

"Werewolves exist, too?" Alaric said, paling out a little.

"Apparently," agreed Vanessa who was definitely a believer now. She took a notebook out of a box and flipped through it until she found what she was looking for. "Here it is. 'Werewolves. Creatures that are forced to transform from their human form to wolf form during the nights of full moon.'"

"Do you know anything about them like supernatural abilities?" Alaric inquired.

"What he means is, would they be able to hear a sound only a vampire could hear?" Damon specified.

"You mean something like the Gilbert device?" Vanessa asked back and amazed them once more.

That girl seriously knew too much for her own good.

"Yes, they can," she answered then. "It says here that they have supernatural hearing abilities."

Now she had attracted their attention.

"Tell us everything you know about werewolves."

At the end of the day Alaric, Damon and Elena left Duke University with ten boxes and basically Isobel's entire research. It was too risky to leave there. The damage was already done when Isobel had shared her knowledge with her students. And to make sure none of the following students would get a hold on something concrete Damon compelled Vanessa to forget about everything supernatural she had ever learned from Isobel and the fact that they had been interrogating her.

Alaric would keep most of the stuff. Elena would keep Katherine's journal and Damon the book on werewolves. On further reading they had found out three important facts about them. One, if bitten by a werewolf the person turns into a werewolf himself. Two, the werewolf curse is passed down through the generations. And three, which was the most crucial: a werewolf bite was fatal to vampires.

And now, knowing all this, they were sure. They Lockwoods were werewolves.

* * *

Stefan was not stupid. He was smart enough to return home the next day before nightfall. He didn't want Elena to be suspicious. Though Anna had threatened to expose him he doubted that she would actually do so. And if so he could still cover it as part of the plan.

The trio returned a quarter to midnight and in a seating constellation Stefan didn't approve of. Getting worked up about it molded perfectly into _his own plan_.

He heard Alaric's car coming so he stepped outside to welcome them but what he found there let him explode.

Damon and Elena were sitting in the back of the car. Damon had put his arm around Elena's sleeping form and Elena had snuggled up to him. Stefan couldn't stand it. So he opened the car violently and roughly separated the two.

"What's going on here?" he bellowed.

Elena who had woken up with a start by Stefan's rough handling looked at him in confusion.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and Damon cuddling," Stefan said angrily.

"You know what I'll give you some privacy to sort things out. Have a good night," Alaric quickly said, kicked them out of his car and literally fled the scene. When he was gone Damon spoke.

"Leave Elena out of this. She was freaking tired and while she was sleeping her head dropped on my shoulder and I put my arm around her to keep her warm. If that's wrong then I'm guilty," he confessed, raising his hands in defeat.

"I was sleeping," Elena added. "And it is indeed very cold. So can we please drop this now and get inside? I'm exhausted."

Hugging herself against the cold she didn't even wait for an answer and entered the Boarding House.

"We aren't done yet," Stefan said menacingly to Damon.

"Hypocrite."

Both Stefan and Damon spun around to the person who had just uttered those words. Anna was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed, glaring at Stefan.

"Ah, Elena, wait. I want to talk to you."

Giving Stefan the once-over Anna turned around to the human girl who had stopped on the stairs. Stefan immediately came inside, followed by Damon.

"Can't it wait till the morning? I'm tired," Elena said.

"No, actually it can't."

"Fine, what is it?"

"Don't," Stefan said. He almost begged Anna. "Don't tell her."

"Don't tell me what?" Elena demanded, becoming suspicious of the secrecy.

And then Damon exploded. "You went to see her!"

"What?" Elena went pale.

Stefan tried his very best to keep the situation under control. Though he had feelings for Katherine he didn't want to lose Elena. He knew it was sick but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Yes, of course I did," he said calmly. "It was part of the plan, right? Find out what she's up to."

"Oh, don't give me that crap. I know what you did and now Elena does, too," Damon shot back.

All eyes were on Elena who just stared at Stefan in shock.

"Tell me it's not true, Stefan. Please…"

But the younger Salvatore just averted his gaze and hung his head.

"It's like with human blood. You just couldn't resist, right?" Damon spat. His voice was poison venomous and his eyes full of contempt. "Anna's right. You're such a hypocrite. Pretending to be the jealous boyfriend while you're cheating on your girlfriend. You're right, brother. This isn't over yet," he added and stormed past Elena upstairs. They heard a door slam shut and then there was deafening silence.

Anna was a little surprised by Damon's reaction. She had actually thought he would stick to Elena and comfort her later. Reality turned out differently. He, too, was pissed at Stefan but apparently for his own reasons.

Well, what could she say? He was a Salvatore after all…

After the initial shock Elena gradually came to her senses again. She glanced at him with hatred in her eyes before she, too, ran upstairs.

When she left Stefan lost it.

Blinded by rage he yanked a wooden bulaster out of the banister and approached Anna menacingly.

"Why did you tell her?" he shouted.

"I told you before she deserves the truth," she replied and eying the stake in his hands she added. "What, are you gonna kill me now?"

In that moment Jeremy came running down the stairs and jumped between Stefan and Anna.

"Hey, leave her alone!"

"Go upstairs, Jeremy," Stefan said, trying to stay calm. "This is between Anna and me."

"Do you think I don't know what you're doing? You screwed up and hurt my sister and now you're after Anna because she told Elena. But you know what? It's your fault and now be a man and deal with it."

He glared bravely at Stefan, determined not to let him get close to Anna. Slowly Stefan dropped the hand with the stake.

"You totally suck, man," Jeremy added and then he grabbed Anna's hand and went upstairs with her.

Stefan stayed where he was and started to think about his momentous mistake.

* * *

Completely lost in thoughts Elena hurried past Jeremy and dashed into her bedroom. She closed the door and started pacing around. She knew Damon was doing the same next door.

She hadn't even realized his reaction to Stefan's cheating she was too occupied with her own feelings.

But the whole truth was that she didn't feel anything at all. Probably because of the shock. She didn't hurt. She didn't feel the urge to cry. She just felt… empty. Something got taken away from her, that she knew but her body mind, and soul yet had to start to miss it.

A few minutes after the truth had been revealed her bedroom door opened and Anna glanced inside.

"May I come in or do you rather want to be alone?" she asked shyly. After all she had brought the truth to the surface.

"Come in," Elena said and sat down on her bed.

Anna entered and closed the door. Then she walked over to Elena and took a seat beside her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But you've been a good friend to me since I've been with your brother and I wanted you to know the truth. You don't deserve to be lied at."

She gave her a small smile.

"You don't need to apologize. I'm glad you made him confess it. You're right I'd rather know then to be lied at."

And then everything hit her with full force. Her heart started hurting and she burst into tears. Anna shyly rubbed her back comfortingly. Elena let it all out. Her pain about losing Stefan, her anger toward Katherine and toward herself. How could she have been so foolish to think he wouldn't fall for her again? He had almost cheated on her once before… Her ability to always see the good in people had eventually led her to her downfall.

_

* * *

I've got to walk away while there's still hope_

_Learn to erase the love I know_

_And let you go_

_'Cause what I thought was love was only lies_

_Taking what you want, left me behind_

_As my heart dies_

_So here we are again_

_Knowing this will never end_

_So I must let go_

_My passion, my poison_

_The life and death of me_

_I can't take you taking everything_

_From a love never meant to be_

_This is my last goodbye_

_Leaving all the memories of you behind_

_I will not wait here_

_And waste my whole life_

_This is my last goodbye_

_This will be my final tear for love to die_

_I will not wait here_

_And waste my whole life_

_With my last goodbye

* * *

_

_1) Well, you could also call this chapter 'The official end of Stelena'. Though Elena hasn't uttered it out loud yet she won't be getting back together with him. Now, isn't that good news? ;)_

2) Letting them meet Isobel again was a spontaneous idea but in the end I really liked it because of what Alaric learns afterwards ;)

_3) I characterized Vanessa a little differently from the Vanessa in the show. I found it a little bit strange that she acted so impulsively._

_4) This time you really made it. More than 500 reviews! I can't believe it! You guys are crazy you know that? I want to hug you all! Thank you so much! I love you! XD Wow, it actually takes my breath away... I think I'm gonna thank you with more than words. Yeah, I think I'll create a Delena video and dedicate it specially to you! Now, how does sound? I even take song requests :) So let me know which song you want me to use and the one with the most votes will be featured in my Thank-You-For-500-Reviews Video :)_

_Until next time and enjoy the new episode tomorrow night! I know I will :D_


	55. Broken

_Okay, guys, this is it. If you are a Delena shipper, which I guess is the case because otherwise you wouldn't read this fanfiction, you might grab some tissues or something you are allowed to smash against your wall. Don't say I didn't warn you!_

* * *

**Chapter 55: Broken**

The next morning Elena woke up, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She didn't know how but she knew something was off. It wasn't the Stefan situation that was bothering her. It was something else. And soon she would find out what.

Once she was fully awake she became aware of the angry voices shouting at each other in the hallway. She couldn't make out what they were fighting about so she got up, opened the bedroom door a crack and listened.

"Where'd he go?"

"I have no idea! He totally surprised me by this!"

"When did he leave?"

"I don't know! I was _sleeping_!"

"He's your brother, goddamnit!"

"That doesn't mean I can see into his head and tell what he's up to! You know what he's like. This is so typical Damonish!"

Elena had heard enough to comprehend what had happened. So she opened the door widely and joined Stefan, her brother and Anna in the hallway.

"So Damon's gone," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"He must've left last night after you came back," Stefan assumed.

"You mean after you confessed your betrayal," Elena corrected him icily. She averted her gaze and stared at the floor.

"He probably went to Katherine," she told them after a minute.

"But why would he do that?"

"I don't know! Maybe to drive a stake though her heart so you won't be able to betray us again!" Elena snapped, turned around and retreated back into her room, slamming the door shut.

There probably was a logical reason as to why Damon left, hypothetically for Katherine. She wasn't sure if he would really do such a noble thing such as taking out Katherine on his own just to save them from more drama. She wasn't even sure if he really went to Katherine but it seemed logical. Otherwise he wouldn't just have gone AWOL.

She walked over to her bed and sat down. Then she took her cell phone, wrote a text and sent it to Damon.

_Where are you?

* * *

_

Two hours later Damon still hadn't gotten in touch with her. He hadn't even answered any of her countless calls. At some point Elena couldn't stand worrying alone so she went upstairs to have breakfast. But neither in the parlor nor in the kitchen did she find someone to cheer her up. Stefan was probably out, hunting or with Katherine, too. Who was she to tell? And Jeremy and Anna were probably upstairs. If they had left they would have told her.

Not being very hungry she filled a bowl with the cornflakes her brother adored and a glass with orange juice. She had breakfast in silence, resenting the fact that wasn't a TV or radio set anywhere in the large manor.

Going crazy with worry Elena kept on trying to reach Damon and sending him messages which he never answered.

When Stefan returned home a couple of hours later she was slightly relieved because now she had someone to talk to though she would rather avoid him.

"Hey," he greeted her shyly and took a seat on the sofa while giving her enough space.

"Hey."

"Still nothing from Damon?"

"No…" She sighed. "I'm starting to worry, Stefan." That was actually a lie. She had been worrying about Damon ever since she knew he was gone.

"I know. Me, too," Stefan said. "You really think he went to Katherine?"

"I have no idea. Seems to be the only possibility." She groaned in frustration. The waiting really was driving her crazy.

"Um, listen, about yesterday," the younger Salvatore began but Elena cut him off.

"Save it, Stefan. I'm not in the mood for this, now."

"I understand," he replied, nodding. He got up, exited the parlor and left her alone.

Elena grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. She didn't understand it. It wasn't like him. Not returning calls. They hadn't fought…. Something was off. She could feel it. Katherine must have done something to him. Maybe she was holding him hostage? Weakened him with vervain? Or… No. She quickly pushed that terrible thought away. Damon couldn't be dead. He just couldn't…

_I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts_

_

* * *

_And while she continued trying to figure out what was wrong and to reach him on the phone time flew by quickly.

Then around seven she heard the front door open.

At once she jumped to her feet and hurried into the hallway where Damon was just closing the door.

"Oh hey," he greeted her when he caught sight of her.

"Hey, where have you been and why didn't you return my calls?" she demanded, slightly irritated because he acted like nothing was wrong.

"I was busy," he told her airily and walked past her into the parlor to pour himself a drink. He could really need one now.

Elena followed, stood opposite him and crossed her arms, watching him sternly.

"Too busy to send a text that you were okay?" she snapped. "I've been worried about you!"

"I'm fine as you can see," he replied unperturbed and knocked back his glass before he refilling it.

"Where did you go?"

"You already know it so let's skip to the next part," Damon said, drinking.

"Katherine." She had thought so all along. "Why did you go see her?" she inquired.

Helping himself with another glass of bourbon he answered "I was pissed about what Stefan did. So I left early in the morning to tell her to back off."

"You were gone for half a day. What took you so long? What happened?"

Damon raised the glass to his mouth but hesitated. She wouldn't like this at all.

The truth was he had had his own reasons to be pissed at Stefan. Knowing his little brother had taken his chances with Katherine and hadn't been unsuccessful, either he recalled Katherine's words from their last encounter.

_We can still be together._

He wanted to take that leap of faith so he went and…

"Things didn't go as planned. First we were fighting. Then we were talking and then… it just happened," Damon finished and knocked back another glass.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Elena squirm and pale out. Her jaw dropped and she stared at him in shock.

"IT? You slept with her?"

"I couldn't do anything about it and I didn't want to, either. She offered, I accepted," he said honestly.

Elena couldn't believe that this was really happening to her.

"How could you!" she burst out. "I thought you hate her!"

"I did but then she accepted me and there was no reason for me to hate her any longer."

"I – I can't believe it!"

"I don't know why you're so upset about it. It's none of your business anyway," Damon said without compassion. "If you're jealous you should have–"

_I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out_

"I'm not jealous!" Elena shouted. "I just can't believe that I've been going crazy with worry while you had your fun with that bitch!"

"Whoa, language, Elena," he reprimanded her.

"I can call her whatever I want. And I'm sorry to break it to you lovesick idiot, that's just what she is. A selfish, manipulative bitch! You used to think so, too! What did she do to you? Vampire to vampire compulsion?"

"You're really getting a little too upset over this. What part of it's not your business, didn't you understand?" Damon replied, growing irritated.

"No, I have every reason to be upset, Damon!" she shouted. "Because within the last hours you destroyed _everything_ that was between us!" Damon opened his mouth but she didn't give him a chance to speak. "I mean our friendship!" she clarified.

"You're going to end our friendship just because I slept with Katherine?" He shook his head and muttered something that sounded like "Ridiculous…"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Elena snapped, blinking away tears. "You betrayed me, Damon!" He huffed at that. "You know that Katherine's after me! You were the last element that was in her way! After Stefan fell for her I thought I could at least count on you to protect and save me from her! You were the only one I believed capable of taking her out! But now you're just like Stefan! I can't be friends with someone I can't trust. I… I hate you, Damon!" she exclaimed in despair. She shot one last hateful look at him before she turned around and stormed upstairs.

After slamming her bedroom door shut she finally burst into tears. Leaning against the door she slid to the floor into a sitting position and buried her face in her hands.

_I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing_

_With a broken heart that's still beating

* * *

_

_Please don't hit me! I'm sorry! It's breaking my heart, too :( We're facing some terrible times, guys... BUT of course there will be better times coming anytime soon, I promise! So I hope you can wait that long..._


	56. All These Things I Hate

_Another chapter already! I'm gradually living up to my old self! (To say it in the words of Damon ;))__ Unfortunately the Delena situation is still the same, no actually it's getting worse but read for yourself!_**  


* * *

**

**Chapter 56:**** All These Things I Hate**

The rest of the week Elena spent isolated in her room, trying not to break down and keep herself together. She felt incredible vulnerable and fragile and was afraid to shatter every second like a vase that had been equally cut into at two sides.

Elena was broken. Two people she usually trusted her life with had shamelessly taken advantage of her blind faith and betrayed her. They had chosen Katherine over her and thereby she had lost two people she really felt safe with.

She knew there were still people in this house who did care about her the way she cared about them. Jeremy and Anna occasionally visited her in her room and brought food and water. Completely caught up in the situation Elena simply forgot to eat and drink. So her brother and his girlfriend made sure she didn't starve. They offered to listen, too but she wasn't in the mood to talk. All she wanted was to be alone. And when they left she almost wanted them to stay. But it all wasn't the same. Her heart was calling out for the two brothers and it hurt like hell.

The same night Damon had returned Stefan had confronted him about his absence as well. According to the noise they had been making they'd probably been fighting, violently too, and by the female shouting downstairs she could tell that Anna had stepped between them to stop them from ripping each others throat out. But Elena didn't care. They weren't fighting for her, they were fighting for Katherine.

* * *

So Elena was really happy for the first time in her life when it was Monday, vacation was over and school started again. Her senior year. She would have to work and to study hard to get good grates for her certificate. And she also was a little excited about the different work groups. Newspaper… yearbook… Prom committee… There were a lot of options and they all sounded like a lots of fun and distraction. That's why Elena planned to sign up for at least one of them. Aside from cheerleading as a junior she had never been doing extra curricular activities and she kind of missed it.

A new school year often meant a new stage of life. So on Monday Elena got up early and styled herself perfectly. She was determined to show the world that she still was the strong Gilbert girl they knew.

Descending the stairs she passed Damon by without giving him a single look. He didn't seem to notice her, either and just walked straight upstairs. Elena tried not to let it get to her. She wanted to leave her problems with Stefan and Damon here in this house and completely focus on school once she got there. Though she would have preferred differently Stefan insisted on accompanying her. If Elena didn't know the real reason why she would've thought he actually liked going to school. The real reason however was something else. For the past days he had attempted to start a conversation but she had always refused to talk to him. And she still didn't want to, now.

* * *

Their ride to school was silent and at school they lost each other in the crowd because Elena, wanting to get away from him, walked a little faster than necessary. She walked straight to the blackboard to see where her classroom was and what she had in first period.

Math, wonderful. But she had something to look forward to. She had History before lunch hour, meaning she could talk to Alaric and ask him how Jenna was doing.

* * *

First day back at school didn't turn out very surprising at all. Math still wasn't her best friend. Bonnie still wasn't talking to her… Only one thing was strange. Caroline was missing. She didn't appear all day. On their way to the history classroom Elena asked Matt about her but he didn't know where she was, either. Elena shot a worried glance at Stefan that he returned. During History she worried even more. So much that she even texted Bonnie.

_Where's Caroline?_

_No idea. Haven't seen her at all last week_, Bonnie answered.

Their gazes shortly met but then Bonnie averted her gaze, pretending to follow the lesson.

* * *

As planned she went to talk to Alaric after the lesson.

"Hey, Elena," he greeted her. "How are you?"

She was about to say 'fine' but changed her mind quickly. Alaric had always been honest with her. It was only fair if she was honest with him, too.

"I have been better," she answered then.

"Why? What's wrong? I mean, aside from the obvious one."

"Nothing special. Just boy stuff, you know." She waved it off with a swift movement of her hand.

"Well in that case you should talk to Jenna. I'm sure you two would have a lot to talk about." He sighed.

"Things not going well between you and Jenna?"

"I guess moving in together was too early and now it's a total buzz kill for our relationship."

"I'm sorry," she said guiltily, hanging her head. After all it was her fault that Jenna had to move in with Alaric for her safety.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Alaric replied softly. "It's not your fault that this crazy bitch is after you." She tried to smile but failed. "I think she's missing you guys, that's all. Just pay us a visit on the weekend, will you?" he added, patting her shoulder encouragingly.

"We will," Elena promised, smiling faintly. "See you tomorrow," she then said and left the classroom.

* * *

Not knowing where to go Elena walked outside and looked around. She spotted Stefan sitting on a bench a little distant from the others. He was meeting her gaze. She sighed, walked over to him and slumped beside him.

"Hey."

"Hey. Did you have a good start?" she started some small talk.

"Can't complain. You?"

"Could've been better."

"What's the matter?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

She sighed deeply. "You know, it's my senior year. It's supposed to be kickass. Give everything, live everything, take part in everything. I want to go back inside and sign up for the courses and groups I'm interested in. But I can't. Because I don't know if I'll ever get to attend them. All I'm sure of is that Katherine's gonna make my life hell. I know school means nothing compared to the threat she poses to me but… argh, it's just so frustrating," she finished exasperatedly.

Stefan hesitated for a moment but then he said, sound completely serious about it "Do it. I've got you covered."

At the corners of her lips tucked a smile. "Later," she decided. They fell silent, just watching the other students buzz around. Then after a while Elena spoke again. "Is Damon still mad at me?"

That arrogant jerk had dared to turn it all around. Now _he_ was angry, no, _offended_ that she ended their friendship just because had ha started things with Katherine again. Go figure.

"Worse," Stefan who was still mad at his brother for jealousy reasons answered. "He's ignoring you. He seems to be completely indifferent about it."

He was right, that was worse. She sighed and was just about to let her gaze wander around but suddenly Stefan grabbed her, put a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream and moved her with inhuman speed behind the bushes.

"What's wrong with you?" she demanded once he had removed his hand from her mouth.

"_Shh!_" he warned her. "I guess now we know where Caroline's been," he added, jerking his head toward the school entrance.

Elena slightly lifted her head to peek over the bushes. There was Caroline, talking to… herself. Well, everyone else thought it was her but of course it was Katherine.

"Looks like Caroline's her new best friend," Stefan muttered.

"That bitch!" Elena burst out over Stefan's annoying _Shhhh! _"Settling things with Caroline is _my_ part! And considering how Damon scared her off I can't find any reason why she would even talk to me now."

"Compulsion," Stefan stated matter-of-factly.

"But the sheriff knows. She gave her vervain, right?"

Stefan didn't answer, instead he gave her a look that said 'duh'. After all it was Caroline they were talking about. Caroline who changed her outfit several times a day and definitely didn't care about always wearing vervain-laced jewelry.

"This can't be happening," Elena groaned. "What's doing here anyway?"

"I'd she's going to school. But you should agree on shifts, you know," another voice came from behind them. They spun around to see Bonnie. "Two of you in one place, that's actually a little scary," the witch added and bit into her apple.

"How did you know I'm the real one?" Elena asked.

"I can tell you apart," Bonnie stated simply. "I've been your best friend since first grade after all. Besides I got to know your evil doppelganger yesterday," she told them then.

"What?"

"Yup. I met her in front of my house. At first I thought she was you but when I touched her I saw what she was and then she introduced herself to me."

"What did she want from you?" Stefan inquired.

"She threatened me," the witch answered casually. "She told me not to mess with her if I don't want to end up like my Grams."

"She did not!" Elena growled.

"Yes, she did. But it takes more than that to scare me off," Bonnie replied, taking another bite of her apple. "You know, ever since we opened the tomb I've been waiting for some chance of revenge. I want to take down a vampire and old Kathy makes a nice target."

"Forget it," Stefan objected. "You have no chance against her."

"Watch me," Bonnie replied coldly and walked away.

Elena exchanged a helpless look with Stefan.

"She has point though, you know?" he said hesitantly. "Two of you in one place that's gonna cause confusion and–"

"So that's it?" Elena flared up. "I'm just gonna accept that fact that she's better than me and retreat like a good girl?" Stefan opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Oh, never mind," she snapped. "I'm going. Tell _Kathy_ I said hi."

And with that she left the high school campus. Walking over to her car she wrote a text and sent it to Alaric.

_Katherine just arrived, pretending to be me. Don't be fooled. I'm going home now._

* * *

A little shy Elena walked down the hallway of the police station past the many offices, occasionally greeting a deputy before stopping in front of the sheriff's office. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in!" she heard Mrs. Forbes voice from inside.

Bracing herself for the next Elena opened the door. At the sound of her entering Sheriff Forbes raised her head toward her, looking surprised to see her.

"Elena, why aren't you at school?" A typical sheriff question.

"I urgently need to talk to you about something," Elena told her and lowered her voice. "It's vampire-related."

Forbes eyes widened but she nodded and gestured her to close the door what she did before accepting the offer to take a seat.

"What's wrong?" the sheriff wanted to know. "Did something happen?"

"Well yes," Elena began, not sure how to break it to her. "Did Damon tell you about a vampire called Katherine Pierce?"

"Yeah, he did. On Founders when we were all at the hospital. He said she was doubling you."

"Yeah, he probably said that before you found out he's a vampire, too. The thing is she's not doubling me. She's my ancestor," she told the sheriff. "I'm a descendent of her twin sister that's why we look alike. So much for the background. What I actually wanted was to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Did Caroline behave differently over vacation? I can't tell because I haven't been here over the summer."

"No, that I know of," Forbes said, shaking her head. "Why?"

"Because Katherine just arrived at school, pretending to be me and hanging out with your daughter," Elena informed her. Forbes eyes widened in shock. "I'm not sure if compulsion is involved. That means, yes, certainly to the extent of reconciliation. You must know, Caroline came by the first week of vacation, demanding answers and ever since then we haven't been talking because she's scared. So if you see her with me, know that it isn't me but Katherine," Elena finished.

Forbes nodded. She had slightly paled out at the news. "Thanks for telling me, Elena. I really appreciate that," she said. "I'm sorry I just have to make sure," she then added and grabbed Elena's hand to check for a pulse. She sighed in relief and let go of her hand again. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Elena said and got up. "I just wanted to tell you so…" she stopped midsentence when something else crossed her mind. "Are you and Damon still partners?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"He switched sides. He fell for Katherine's charm. Long story," she added. "Just don't trust him anymore."

"I won't," Forbes assured her sternly. "Thank you, Elena."

"You're welcome," she replied and left the office.

* * *

Only half an hour after Elena another person entered Forbes' office. This time it was Damon. Forbes was ready for him. She wouldn't be fooled by his charming manner. Not anymore.

"Hello, Liz," he greeted her politely. "I have news for you."

"So do I," Forbes said nodding and offered him a seat. "You first."

"I know what's off with the Lockwoods now. Well, let's say vampires were the least of your problems until now."

"Just say it, Damon. I'm ready."

"Okay. They're werewolves."

Whatever the sheriff had expected it had been nowhere near _this_.

"Werewolves," she repeated weakly.

"Yup. We found some background literature on them. I brought you some copies," he said and put a folder on her desk.

"Thanks, Damon. I'll read it later. I have to digest this first," Forbes evaded.

"Sure. You said you had news for me, too?"

She nodded. "Unfortunately we had to let John go last night."

"What?"

"He probably has some sympathizers. Apparently one of them called the state government. Yesterday someone from the Human Rights Commission came by and forced us to let him go," she told him. "They even reported me to their bosses. I was lucky that all I got was a warning."

"That's bad," Damon commented. "Where's he now?"

"I don't know," she answered. "He wasn't home during my patrol. To be honest, we lost his trace." Damon nodded, taking the information in. "Part of me wishes I never locked him up in the first place," she continued then.

"Why that?"

"Because he wants to take you out," the sheriff retorted, looking at him with contempt in her eyes. "Elena stopped by earlier. She told me about your… re-orientation."

"Re-orien – what?" Damon repeated incredulously. "What did she tell you?"

"Sleeping with the enemy," Forbes recalled a famous movie. "Doesn't that describe it best?"

"I don't know what she told you but you should know that Elena isn't quite compos mentis right know if you understand what I mean," Damon explained, trying hard to hide his anger. "She misunderstands a lot of things lately."

"I don't believe it's a misunderstanding and Elena appeared perfectly compos mentis to me," Forbes replied. "You and I are no longer working together. Not as long as I don't know which side your own. I can't trust you, Damon. I don't even know if this werewolf story is true."

"So I guess this is it then," Damon replied sourly and got up.

"Yes. You can exit where you entered," she agreed. "Oh and tell Katherine to stay away from my daughter," she added when he turned to leave the office.

But he turned around to her once more. "Just so you know," he said. "I wasn't lying about the werewolves."

And then he left her with that.

* * *

_A lot plot, I know. _

_1) The nickname Bonnie gives Katherine is actually result of my talking-without-thinking. I just happen to say Kathy all the time. It's shorter and it downgrades her so I like it XD I also like Bonnie's casual and reckless attitude toward Katherine ;)_

_2) John's free OO Uh-oh, Anna should watch out now._

_3) Didn't I say it's getting worse? Now imagine Damon coming home confronting Elena about what she told Liz. Ouch... I'm not sure yet if I include that conversation in the chapter or if I just mention it by the way. _

_4) As Katherine says it in the new promo. She's always one step ahead of Elena. Now she almost doesn't have anything left. School seems to be the only place to hide from her problems and now she can't go there anymore. _

_I'm writing the new chapter as of now. Hope I'll get it up soon. So long!_


	57. Hostility

_Hi, everyone! My muse is still there :) Lucky you! _

_Okay, many people were confused by Damon's recent attitude, me included so i added a little sequence on his (simple) train of thought for you, same as the conversation between Elena and Damon after Elena told Liz about Damon's new attitude.  
_

_Warning: Elena is major pissed in this chapter XD_

_Enjoy!_

**

* * *

Chapter 57: Hostility**

_I sense a bad vibe_

_It's comin' from all sides_

_Hard to keep my head clear_

_This trip's a sad ride_

_Everybody's lyin'_

_Attitudes are flyin'_

_But I'm not even tryin'_

_I'm workin' at survivin'_

_I try to understand_

_What's goin' on, what's goin' on_

_It's all around me_

_Am I the only one?_

_Hostility_

_All this crap is killin' me_

_What's with this hostility?_

_All this crap is killin' me

* * *

_

Damon was irritated. That alone was a bad sign and usually announced violence, terror and pain. He was trying hard not to lose it. He still couldn't begin to comprehend what had happened three days ago and was affecting him ever since.

He didn't want to fight with Elena. He really didn't. But did she leave him any choice? She deliberately provoked him that was for sure. Going to the sheriff behind his back and telling her some lies about his lacking trustworthiness… That was unfair and cowardly… In this regard she reminded him a lot of his former image of Katherine. Playing dirty games with him, that was her thing. And it wasn't the first time that Elena had been this cruel to him. Back when they had searched for the Grimoire together she had stabbed him in the back and shamelessly taken advantage of his trust.

Now again.

How an earth was he supposed to ignore it or not resent her for it? That was impossible! He needed the sheriff. She was his partner, kept him up-to-date with what was going on in the council and with Mason Lockwood. Now no more, thanks to Elena.

He really didn't know what that girl's problem was. The only thing that was clear was that it all started with his sleeping with Katherine. It wasn't her business to begin with. Yet she claimed adamantly that she wasn't jealous. Instead she accused him of betraying her. But how was he betraying her again?

Behind her accusations he had detected another emotion except for the fury. It was fear. She had actually been afraid from the second she had learnt what he had done. Afraid of being alone and an easy target for Katherine. But did she honestly think he would just stand back and watch Katherine harm her or even assist? She couldn't trust him so little. Though his feelings for Katherine had reignited and though he was ready to be with her he wouldn't just let Elena suffer through Katherine's hand. If it should ever come to that he would shield Elena and show her that she never lost him. But right now all of it was mere speculation. None of it had been proven. He didn't know for sure why Katherine had come back but so long it didn't look like she was after Elena. Rather back for him and his brother. For love.

He really believed that and was determined to demonstrate that he was the right man for Katherine and not his stupid brother. He would fight for her. After all he deserved some happiness, too.

And while he got closer to Katherine he distanced himself more and more from Elena…

* * *

"Care to tell me what you're trying to achieve?" Damon demanded and entered the parlor where Elena was sitting on the sofa, staring into the fire.

"We haven't talked for days, Damon. Care to tell me what you're talking about now?" Elena said calmly, avoiding his gaze.

"Don't play games with me, Elena. You know exactly what I'm talking about," Damon retorted. "I just went to see the sheriff and she practically kicked me out _because she can't trust me anymore_. Ring any bells?"

"Glad to have at least one last ally."

"That's not funny, Elena!"

"I never said so!" she shot back.

"Why did you do this?" he demanded. "What's your goddamn problem?"

"I already told you!"

"What are you doing here anyway? Why aren't you at school instead of telling Liz lies about me?"

"Lies, alright," Elena muttered. "You want to know why I am not at school? Fine, I tell you." She took a deep breath while glaring daggers at him. "Because you psycho bitch of girlfriend decided to go to school for me, that's why!"

"Don't call her that!" Damon warned through gritted teeth.

"Or what?" Elena challenged. "Or you'll hurt me? Okay, do it. I dare you to do it!" she shouted.

Damon took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "Fine," he said then. "If you want it to be this way you can have it this way."

Suddenly the front door opened and they heard Stefan, Jeremy and Anna enter. Jeremy was laughing which was ironic because the situation wasn't funny at all.

The trio stepped into the parlor and stopped, staring half surprised, half shocked at Damon and Elena who were glaring at each other, ready to charge at each other. Then suddenly Damon rushed past them, out of the house.

"What happened?" Stefan asked stunned by the new hostility.

"I think someone declared Cold War II," Jeremy muttered.

Elena slumped back on the sofa, taking deep breaths. The fight had exhausted her more than she had noticed at first. She realized that she was trembling – with fury and with sadness. A complete turmoil of emotions. She hugged herself like she was freezing to stop herself from shaking. Then she shot a glare at Stefan.

"You should hurry. I'm sure you can still beat him to her," she spat.

"I'm not that simple-minded," he replied and exited the parlor to go upstairs.

Now Anna and Jeremy joined Elena on the sofa. Taking a seat on each side of her they scrutinized her worriedly.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked carefully.

"No, I'm not, Jer," she answered truthfully, fighting back tears and trying to keep her voice steady.

"Stefan told us what happened," Anna explained. "She fooled everyone who doesn't know her."

Elena nodded. There was a lump in her throat that made it impossible for her to speak.

"But she hasn't won yet, Elena," Anna continued. "Just try again tomorrow. Katherine doesn't strike me as the geek type even if it's to pester you."

Elena nodded again. She waited until the lump in her throat got thinner and the tremor had stopped then she told them what she had done that had gotten Damon so mad. Anna and Jeremy were listeners and they approved of her actions. It was bad enough that he had already fooled one person, they said.

* * *

Elena heeded Anna's advice and went to school the next day and the day after – and the day after that. She went to school every day of that week only to have her hopes crushed over and over again. Contrary to Anna's predictions Katherine could turn into a geek if it served to torment Elena and get closer to Stefan.

But Elena wouldn't give up so soon. On Friday morning after returning to the Boarding House she decided to get up very early on Monday to beat Katherine to school. If she saw that Elena was already there maybe she would back off then. It was her last hope.

* * *

Friday turned out to be as boring as the days before. Then after school Jeremy invited her to accompany him to a party.

"You know, Tyler Lockwood is throwing a party in the woods by old Fell Church," he told her. "You want to come? Could be fun and you'd get out of the house for a few hours."

"No, thank you, Jer. I'm not in the mood for parties," she declined. "But be careful and don't forget what I told you about the Lockwoods."

"It's not a full moon, Elena. I'll be fine."

"You're going alone?"

To his mind he was going alone but his girlfriend who had a say in this matter, too, had a complete different opinion about it. Elena could hear their voices coming from upstairs.

"No, Jeremy. Absolutely not!"

"Fine, then I'll stay here with you," he gave in.

"No, that's not what I meant," Anna said. "I want to go to that party, too. I'm definitely not gonna miss it and stay in this freaking house. Ask your sister. She knows how depressing it is! We stayed her all summer!"

"You know what Damon said. John's free to go wherever he likes and he definitely didn't let go of his hate while he was in prison. I let you go to school but a party out in the open at night that's just too risky."

"You're only trying to protect me, Jeremy and I appreciate that. It's cute," she replied. "But no thanks. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah? Like on Founders Day?" he shot back.

"That was completely unpredictable!" she defended herself. "The device doesn't work anymore. If he wants to hurt or immobilize me he has to get really close to me and I'm gonna let him. My senses are on high alert. And if I see him I'll kick his ass."

"Still I'd prefer if you–" Jeremy began but already knew that it was no good.

"Forget it, Jeremy. I'm going with you," Anna cut him off and ended the discussion.

Jeremy sighed in defeat.

* * *

Two hours later the couple said goodbye to Elena and left the Boarding House. The moment they did Stefan returned from hunting. Not knowing where else to go he joined Elena in the parlor.

Elena had been sitting there all day, reading. On the floor next to her were two heaps of books. One containing the books she had already read on one with those she intended to read next. Nearly dying of boredom she had raided the library. She had even been tempted to read Damon's favorite 'Call of the Wild' but then dropped that thought. The risk of throwing a fit and hurling the book into the fire was too high…

When Stefan joined her she was just reading another Shakespeare. Of course one with a tragic ending. Suited her more because it was close to reality than a sappy love story.

"How's that go?" Stefan asked when he sat down, pointing at the books.

"Good. 10 books in 5 days when I've finished this one," she told him, not bothering to look up. "How was school? Sure you're gonna tell me that Katherine is a real geek and a genius when it comes to Math."

"No, she's quiet. I guess she only goes through this to keep you away."

"Yup. And to spend more time with you. That's her diabolical plan. Maybe Damon should re-enroll in high school, too," she added sarcastically.

"Elena–"

"I'm just saying. I'm still allowed to say something, right?"

"Yes but… I know this is hard for you but before we try to kill each other due to the hostility you're spreading in this house, can we please talk about it? Calmly?" he asked carefully.

"Sure," she said, slamming the book shut. "Absolutely. If I remember it correctly you've been trying to talk since Wednesday night last week. So let's _talk_.

She got up and started pacing around.

"_Calmly_," Stefan emphasized.

"I am calm! This is me being calm. Trust me, if I wasn't calm we'd be having a much different conversation. If I wasn't calm I would've borrowed some vervain darts from Alaric and torture you till satisfaction," she spat.

Stefan was shocked. "I've never seen you like this. So… hostile. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know," she began. "Maybe it's the fact that my perfect, prince charming boyfriend cheated on me with my evil doppelganger who wants to kill me."

"You don't know that," Stefan argued.

Elena laughed out loud. "Don't give me that crap, Stefan. We both know why Katherine hasn't killed me yet. Because she needs me to deliver her a look-a-like baby girl she'll adopt and because she enjoys tormenting me of course." She turned and paced back. "Or maybe it's the fact that my best friend joined Team Katherine while my other two best friends are either being compelled by her or choose to mind their own business. Or while we're at it that I'm practically imprisoned in this house, dying of boredom–"

"Why didn't you go to that party? Sounded like fun."

"Don't you think that Katherine will be there, too? Caroline will. Why do you think Damon left only minutes before Jeremy and Anna?" She stopped and continued her enumeration. "Or it could the fact that I had to eavesdrop on a fight between my brother and his girlfriend to learn that my vampire-hating father is on the loose because Damon kept this information from me!" She inhaled sharply. "I'm sure I'll find some more points to add to that list. But to spare both of us any more of my hostility let's go back to the original topic. Let's make it quick because frankly I don't have the nerve to drag this out any more."

Stefan nodded, gesturing her to go on. "You slept with Katherine while you were still with me and I'm furious with you. I loved you, Stefan! And I never thought you'd do such a thing but you did. So we're done. Like you once said. 'We talked and it was epic.' Now it's over. I can't trust you anymore. We can't be friends. We just happen to live under the same roof. Anything left unclear?"

"No, everything's perfectly clear," Stefan replied and got up.

"Good."

"Have a good night, Elena," Stefan said and left the parlor.

She sighed and slumped on the sofa. That had been the weirdest conversation she had ever had. But she liked it. Being bitchy suited her more than being broody. She definitely enjoyed it. Smiling triumphantly she grabbed another book and started to read it.

* * *

"See? I told you we would be having a good time," Anna said smiling.

"You perhaps. But I'm just nervous," Jeremy replied, looking around.

"Oh, don't be so paranoid. I got it," she said and kissed him. "Now let's have some fun, okay?"

He smiled faintly. "Okay."

They resumed walking until someone tipped Anna on the shoulder, making her turn around.

"John!"

And Jeremy's heart stopped beating.

* * *

_Wow, that is one evil cliffhanger, isn't it? Sorry to leave you hanging but I just couldn't resist ;)_

_I was watching action movies while writing this chapter. I think that's where Elena aggressive manner is coming from XD They help me lot writing such scenes._

_And Elena officially broke up with Stefan. Now they're nothing. Not even friends. That was something you've been missing too, right?_

_I'm already writing the next chapter so it'll probably be up soon. And you can look forward to a supporting character's reappearance._

_See you!_


	58. Without You

_Finally I made it to upload this chapter! I'm sorry it took me so long. I was halfway through it and then I had a block x.x I'll warn you. This probably the longest chapter I've ever written. I thought about splitting it but I've got other plans with the number of chapters. _

**_Please read this: This chapter included we're heading toward chapter 60! I already know that there will be way more than 60 chapters. And I had an idea. Right now this fanfiction got 550 review for 57 chapters. You think you can reach the mark of 600 reviews, including those for chapter 60? If you made it to post 50 more reviews by then that would be so awesome! But you don't have too, of course ;)_**

_About the chapter: I already told you there's a guest appearance^^ And there are many other things that will extend and thicken the plotline. I don't want to tell too much. Just: enjoy! :)_

* * *

**Chapter 58: ****Without You**

It was around nine when Elena heard the front door open and close. Curious who it was she turned her head to see her brother enter.

"You're back early. And alone," she noted surprised.

"Is this the 'Room For The Rejected'?" Jeremy asked.

"Rejected and rejecters. What's the occasion?"

"I just met Anna's ex," Jeremy answered.

"Sit," Elena said, patting the vacant space beside her and closed her book. They sat silently for a while before she spoke again. "Want ice cream?"

"Isn't that a girl breakup thing?"

"I've got enough breakup for both of us," Elena retorted. "Come on."

They got up and walked into the kitchen. Jeremy took a seat at the counter while Elena was preparing two bowls of ice cream.

"So… what happened?" she asked when she was ready, put the bowls on the counter and took a seat opposite her brother.

"He somehow popped up out of nowhere. His name's John. Really freaked me out at first," he told her, spooning ice cream.

"Well, who can blame you," she sighed.

"Well, this guy is not a really a 'did it-done-it-it's over' ex, if you know what I mean," Jeremy continued, frowning. "No hard feelings. They're getting along just fine."

"Jealousy kicked in." Elena nodded knowingly.

"But not without reason!" he defended himself. "Anna didn't notice it but I sure did. That guy was totally hitting on her and he wouldn't leave. Anan was having a good time so I talked to her about it and… it went down the completely wrong road."

"Your first real fight. Cuts deep, I know," Elena replied.

"Yeah…"

They finished their ice cream, put the bowls into the dishwasher and walked back into the parlor.

"So you just left her there? Out in the woods? What about John? I mean the hater," she added.

"I completely forgot about it," Jeremy admitted embarrassed. "I was so pissed at her that I just wanted to leave."

"Understandable. But you should call her. Just to make sure that she's okay," she said.

"Yeah, I will."

He had just taken out his cell phone when the front door opened and closed and Anna returned. She glared at Jeremy before walking upstairs.

"You should go talk to her," Elena told him. "If you blow it there are enough guest rooms in this house."

"Very encouraging, thank you," he retorted and followed his girlfriend upstairs.

Suddenly the front door moved again and Damon entered the house, looking pissed as well. Their gazes met.

"Trouble in paradise," Elena mocked.

"Never made it there. I had to play babysitter because one stubborn girl in this house cannot listen to the easiest instructions," he spat.

"I never asked you to look out for me!" Anna's angry voice came from upstairs.

Damon glared at Elena before walking upstairs. Elena sighed and took a seat. What a night…

* * *

"That teacher saved your ungrateful undead life and you're risking it for some stupid party!"

"So what? I'm going crazy here! I needed a change of scenery! And sorry your night didn't go as planned but again no one asked you to watch my back!"

"Who's gonna do it then, huh? You naïve stubborn girl," Damon said. "Did it ever cross your mind that your old friend might be working for the guy who wants you dead?"

"He wouldn't."

"How can you know? John disappeared off the radar. He could be anywhere. Recruiting anyone."

"It already struck me as a bad omen that his name was John," Jeremy remarked.

Anna glared at him.

"I'll leave you two alone then. I know have _a lot_ to talk about," Damon said and walked out of the room.

The couple faced each other, arms crossed and glaring.

"So…" Anna said after a while of silence. "What was that about? Why did you cause such a scene?"

"That guy was totally hitting on you!"

"We were just talking," Anna defended it.

"Maybe you were but he clearly wasn't. The way the talked to you… His flirty comments and–"

"There is really no need to be jealous, Jeremy," Anna cut him off.

"I'm stating the facts you don't see!"

"Still you're jealous," she reasoned and his silence confirmed this assumption.

"Look, Jeremy, I'm happy you feel this way. Being jealous means you care about me. But there is really no need to feel this way because I'm not gonna leave you. And definitely not for a guy like John. He doesn't even know what I am. You should consider that, too."

Jeremy was stunned. "Really?"

She nodded. "You're the first guy I showed my secret to. Well, actually you totally busted me." Jeremy grinned. "Aside from you I only told Ben and he ended up burnt by Stefan. So consider this a good omen that you're still alive," she added, giving him a small smile. "John and I went to college together two years ago before I came to Mystic Falls."

"You guys never…? I thought your ex…" Jeremy stammered.

Anna laughed. "God, no. He tried though but I rejected him."

Jeremy scratched his head nervously. All the trouble for nothing…

"Oh… I'm sorry."

She smiled faintly. "It's okay."

"She walked over to him and kissed him gently on the lips. "You won't get rid of me so soon," she told him, smirking.

"Fine with me," he replied grinning and kissed her back.

* * *

Later that night Elena closed the book she had been reading for the past hours. She got up and put out the fire. Then she went upstairs. She entered her bedroom to grab her PJS but froze when she caught something on her bed. It was a pile of sheets of paper with a little note on top of it.

_You said you were bored. So I copied for you. Ask __me if anything is unclear to you. – Stefan_

A small smile flashed across Elena's face. Now she had finally found something to occupy herself with.

* * *

The weekend she spent with Jeremy and Anna at Alaric's. She enjoyed spending time with Jenna and catching up with her. The relationship between Jenna and Alaric was still strained but as Alaric told Elena it had gotten better during her visit. So Jenna was really just missing them.

During her stay Elena also discussed her situation with Alaric, Jeremy and Anna. Alaric had kind of been working as her spy, keeping an eye on Katherine. He told her that it was a creepy how good she was at copying her. But he also pushed Elena to keep going and not to give up, no matter how worse it would get.

* * *

On Monday Elena had hope. She got up one hour earlier than usual and hurried to get out of the house. She arrived at school one hour before class started. When she parked her car she took a look around and then sighed in relief. No Katherine in sight.

She got out of the car and entered the building. Then she stopped dead. Out of sudden Katherine was standing in front of her, smirking superiorly.

"You better go home, Elena. Two of us in one place, that's kinda creepy, you know?" she said with her unbearable sweet voice.

Elena didn't even retort something. She just turned on her heels and left. She didn't want to give up, she really didn't but it was just so hard to keep fighting.

Tears were already forming in her eyes when she stepped outside. She desperately wished for someone she could talk to. Someone adult who knew about all this, independent from Alaric and Jenna. Someone like a…

mother.

Before she even began to register what she was doing Elena had taken out her phone and opened her contacts. She had saved Isobel's number just in case… In case of what exactly? Was now such a case?

She was desperate. She couldn't find any other excuse for her actions. With trembling finger she dialed Isobel's number and waited.

"Please," she whispered while listening to the tone. "Mom, pick up, please…"

She let it ring ten times before she hung up and wiped her tears away. She turned to her car and opened the door to get inside when…

Suddenly her phone started vibrating. Jumping she nearly dropped it. She barely caught it and looked at the display.

She had received a text message… from the number she had just dialed.

"Mom…"

Excited she opened the message and read it.

_I'm afraid texting will have to do._

Elena stared at the message in confusing, partly doubting her own sanity. Was she dreaming this? Another vibration let her snap out of her trance. It was another message from Isobel. This one was longer.

_I'm close but I can't show myself to you because we're both watched. Katherine's here__, and for all I know John could be around, too. Leave the area. Go home. Text me when you get there. _

Elena put her phone in her pocket and got into her car.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later she was back at the Boarding House in her room and contacted her mother. The door opened and Jeremy peeked inside.

"You coming?"

"I already went. I just came back," she told him. "Thought I could beat her to school but she's still one step ahead of me. I think she has me observed."

"Probably," Jeremy agreed. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Just go, okay?"

"Okay. See you later," he said and closed the door.

Two seconds later her phone went off, announcing another text message.

_I think I found a good hiding place. They can't watch me here. But I'm not sure for how long. And talking is still off limits._

Elena took that in for a moment, trying to formulate a response but before she could hit reply she had received yet another message.

So… You're finally desperate enough to want to talk to me? To finally let me into your life?

Elena let out a heavy sob. She was crying again. All these buried feelings… The pain of missing a mother, the pain about knowing her mother didn't care about her for years… But deep inside she knew she needed her mother. Now more than never before. Jenna was great but she could never represent a mother to her. Isobel could though. If Elena forgave her they could start over. Start to live a life together instead of apart. It was a life Elena wanted. She wanted to believe that this was still possible. She wanted to believe that the things Isobel had said to her on her back porch were true. That she cared about her and wasn't on Katherine's side.

Another text interrupted her thinking.

You're not answering. So I guess you're crying. Don't. It's not your fault. It's mine. I'll try to make up for everything now. If you let me.

Elena hiccupped. Reading those lines had startled her. Isobel wasn't around. It would be too obvious. So how did she know that she was crying? Did she know her that well already?

Still sniffing she hit reply.

_Can we meet somewhere? There's so much I want to tell you. Face to face._

_No. They'd follow us. I'm sorry. You probably care about your life and I definitely care about yours and mine. Just go ahead and tell me everything you want. I know it's not the same. Let's try to make the best out of it. _

Elena wiped her tears away.

There was a chance. And she would take it. So she hit reply and texted Isobel everything she wanted her to know, dragging this conversation out for as long as possible. Fortunately she had a flat rate…

* * *

Things were going great for the next week. Elena didn't even bother to try to go to school. She wouldn't participate in Katherine's childish games anymore. Instead she stayed at the Boarding House and talked to Isobel via text all day long. Isobel wasn't only comforting her. They were also catching up on the 18 years of Elena's life. Elena had told her how she had used to be a cheerleader like she had been herself. What she was good at at school and what she would like to do after school. They were spending some quality time through texting.

While at it Elena asked Isobel if there was anything else she needed to know except for the things she had found out by digging through her personal research. Isobel had said the only real interesting thing for her right was Katherine's journal. That was when Elena realized that the journal was still in her locker at school. She had put it there on her first day.

The next day she went there to retrieve it but it was longer where she had left it. When she closed the locker Katherine appeared at her side.

"Looking for this?" she asked, holding up the journal. "That's very rude, Elena. Snooping through other people's personal things. Not even I play that dirty… I don't want to see you here anymore. Leave. Now!" she ordered, pushed her hard, sending her flying down the hallway and laughed at her when she ran away.

In the end it turned out that Elena already knew most of what the journal covered. The reason why they looked alike and everything related to Mystic Falls. It also covered Katherine's escape from the founding family members, Isobel recalled. That was certainly interesting. Unfortunately Isobel couldn't remember this entry very well.

Elena was safe in her bubble. Reading Isobel's texts helped her make it through the day. She was finally starting to feel at least a little happy again.

* * *

Then on Friday everything shattered when she received the ultimate message.

_They found me. I have to leave. I'll stay close but we can't text anymore. I'm sorry. But remember that you're not alone. Trust in your friends._

After reading the message Elena was stuck in some kind of shock for the next hours. She didn't believe that this was actually happening. She had just gotten her mother back. She didn't want to lose her so soon again. She needed her. Without her support she just lapsed back into being depressed and helpless.

She sent Isobel close to a dozen messages, waiting desperately for her to return them but she never did. She had probably already gotten rid of her phone. Elena didn't want to do. She needed distraction. She grabbed a few books and started reading but none of them was interesting enough to distract her long enough.

Then after five hours she was certain: Isobel wouldn't get in touch with her anytime soon.

* * *

After the shock followed realization and after realization followed despair. Apathy kicked in the day after. Elena holed herself up in her room and refused to eat and drink. Once again Jeremy and Anna had to make sure she didn't starve. Nothing made her feel better. Not even the news that Katherine had apparently gotten tired of school and didn't go there anymore. The next day Elena went back but immediately figured that it was no good. She had missed so much that she couldn't follow the lessons. Stefan notes didn't help her, either. She could hardly catch up and that increased her misery.

Jeremy and Anna were incapable of dealing with Elena's depression. Jeremy was feeling so helpless that he even brought her former psychiatrist into the Boarding House. She couldn't help, either but put Elena on anti-depressants that lighted her mood to the extent that it was hovering above the level of depression. That however only caused trouble because Damon didn't agree to bring any people into the house even if it was to help Elena get better.

"Can't you see how depressed she is?" Anna flared. "The psychiatrist might actually help her!"

And Jeremy said "Dud, she's been that depressed before when my parents died. She did a lot of crazy shit back then. Worse than my taking drugs. And the last thing I need is a replay of that!"

"I don't even know why she's making such a great out of it," Damon remarked coldly. "Girls go through a lot of heartbreaks."

It was then that Elena opened her mouth after hours of silence and talked to him for the first time in weeks.

"It's not the heartbreak!" she told him sobbing. "I don't care about the breakup! I don't even care about Stefan!"

"Elena, you don't need to–" Jeremy began but Elena ignored him. "It's you!" she informed him. "You are making me so depressed! I can deal with heartache but I cannot deal with losing my best friend to a psychopathic bitch!"

"Ridiculous," Damon muttered, shaking his head.

Elena's face was distorted with rage and still she was crying while she tried to get everything that had threatened to crush her off her chest. She wanted him to know. She wanted him to understand. She wanted him to feel something for her because his indifference was killing her.

"I wish someone would just kill her already. I'd do it myself even if I died trying. Every day she's around she's ruining another part of my life. She already broke us! Don't you see that? If you love her that much you're gonna have to make a decision, Damon! It's me or her. Forever. Just hurry up and decide! Because I can't take this any longer!"

With that she darted past him, leaving everyone in the parlor speechless.

* * *

Later that night something happened that – if Elena had been awake – would have amazed her. Having waited until he was sure she was fast asleep he sneaked into her bedroom. Almost soundlessly he walked over to her bed and came to a halt beside her. He noticed the remains of tears she had cried on her face and the headphones she was wearing. She was listening to the Breaking Benjamin album he had giver her on her birthday. He listened. The song 'Without You' was playing. It took him only two seconds to realize that the song was on repeat. Did that song remind her of him? Of them?

_Swallow me under and pull me apart_

_I understand there's nothing left_

_Pain so familiar and close to the heart_

_No more, no less I won't forget_

_Come back down, save yourself_

_I can't find my way to you_

_And I can't bear to face the truth_

_Say something new_

_I have nothing left_

_I can't face the dark without you_

_There's nothing left to lose_

_The fighting never ends_

_I can't face the dark without you_

He sighed deeply. Then he put something on her nightstand. It was Katherine's journal. He had overheard Elena telling Jeremy and Anna that Katherine had stole it back. So he had been snooping around Katherine's place and eventually found it. If Katherine found out he had taken it he would be in big trouble, maybe even dead. He didn't even know why he took it. He had just taken it instinctively. Just like he had come to visit Elena that night instinctively. His gaze wandered back to her face and another sigh escaped his lips. Elena thought he had gone back to being a heartless monster just for the sake of being with Katherine. But that wasn't true. He still cared. About her, especially. He, too, hated it that they were fighting. He wished she would just accept the fact that he was with Katherine. It would make things so much easier…

He wasn't stupid though. He knew that would never happen. And he also knew that Elena was right. Eventually he would have to make the ultimate decision. Elena or Katherine. It would be a difficult decision that was why he hoped he would be granted some more time before he had to make the decision. He carefully leaned in and let his fingers ghost over her cheek as he whispered to her the words he wouldn't say to her face.

"I didn't want it to be like this. I'm sorry…"

_I wanted to forgive_

_I'm trying to forget_

_Don't leave me here again_

_I'm with you forever in__ the end_

_Say something new_

_I have nothing left_

_I can't face the dark without you_

_There's nothing left to lose_

_The fighting never ends_

_I can't face the dark without you_

_Holding the hand that holds me down_

_I forgive, forget you, the end_

_Holding the hand that holds me down_

_I forgive you, forget you in __the end

* * *

_

The next morning Elena felt strange. She was still depressed but it also seemed like her mind had been processing and plotting all night long. When she woke up she felt kind of refreshed and Isobel's words were ringing in her ears. _You're not alone. Trust in your friends._ She got up with a plan.

She did spot the journal on her nightstand but she didn't spend a many thoughts on it. She figured Stefan had gotten it for her, hoping it would make her trust him again. But it took more than that to regain her trust.

In the afternoon she gathered all her courage and drover over to Bonnie's place. The steps to her front door seemed to be the longest walk she had ever taken. She was very nervous, on the verge of despair even. What if Bonnie rejected her? What would she do then?

The moment of waiting for her childhood friend to open the door was like torture. Tears were already brimming in her eyes. The tension was too high.

Then Bonnie opened the door.

"Elena?" she said surprised to find her there. She was about to ask what she was doing there but then she noticed that Elena was crying.

Without hesitation she drew her childhood friend into an embrace. Elena collapsed into her arms, crying endlessly. It was too much for her. She had expected Bonnie to at least direct a snarky remark at her but this unconditional comfort was more she could ask for.

When Elena had calmed down they sat together in Bonnie's living room and talked.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry for everything. I never wanted us to drift so far apart," Elena apologized sincerely. "You're my best friend since kindergarten. And I know it's my fault that we drifted apart. I didn't take our friendship serious enough."

"It's okay," Bonnie replied and squeezed her hand. "I accept your apology. Now why don't you tell me what got you so depressed?"

Elena put her cup of tea onto the coffee table and started to speak. She told Bonnie everything that had happened since she had returned from the summer program. That it started with Stefan being unfaithful toward her again and how Damon had practically chosen Katherine over her. Then she told her about her texting session with Isobel and how happy she had been about getting a part of her mother back.

"But then they must've found her. She thinks texting is too dangerous or too obvious or whatever. So she got out of touch. But her last words were 'Trust in your friends." I immediately thought of you. But I was so scared. I didn't think you'd ever want to be my friend again after I've been such a bitch to you–"

"Elena," Bonnie softly stopped Elena's rambling. "I told you it's okay."

"I'm just glad to have you back, Bonnie," Elena said and hugged her best friend. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Elena," Bonnie agreed and hugged her back.

"So what are you going to do now?" the witch asked after a while.

"I honestly don't know. Katherine's been making my life hell. She almost took everything that matters to me away and I can't deal with it anymore. It's gotten under my skin like back when my parents died. The sadness is so strong. It's gotten a grip on my heart and it feels like it's crushing it. I can't breathe easily. I can't sleep. It's just so overwhelming," Elena finished sadly.

Bonnie nodded and took her hands in hers. "Here's what we're going to do," she said. "You're going to move in here with me. It certainly doesn't help to see those guys all the time. You're always reminded of the situation. But here you can escape it. I promise I'm going to take your mind off things. We'll catch up and spend some girl time together. I'm sure it'll help."

* * *

Bonnie sounded so confident and Elena really wanted to believer her so she agreed to the plan and moved out of the Boarding House still that evening.

"Thank you, Jer," Elena said to her brother who had walked her to her car. "I feel a little bad for leaving you with them."

"That's okay," Jeremy replied. "I think Anna and I can handle it. Anything to make you feel better."

"While I'm gone you're the owner of the house. You get to decide who comes in and how stays out," she reminded him, smiling faintly. "You're the boss, Jer."

"I'll definitely enjoy it," Jeremy told her grinning. "See you at school."

* * *

Despite first hope staying at Bonnie's didn't help as promised. Sure, it took her mind off of things at first but deep inside the pain was still there. Now she knew what her brother must've felt like when Damon had compelled him to forget about the source of the pain without actually removing the pain.

_Dear Diary,_

_it's been six weeks and nothing's changed._

_I wake up every day and I feel terrible. I can hardly breathe and I feel the urge to cry but the tears won't come. There are none left._

_This sadness is killing me, literally. It's like I was thrown right back to that point when my parents died. I'm that sad, helpless girl again. I can't fight it. These feelings hurt so much. They're crushing me, strangling me, holding me in place, keeping me alive enough to torture me._

_Even hell couldn't be worse._

_They even put me on those stupid pills again but those aren't working, either. They don't have the promised effect. I still feel that heavy weight upon my heart and no matter how many pills I take it doesn't become lighter and I don't get better. I'm trapped in this depression._

_Jenna and Alaric still don't know about my condition. Jeremy and Anna kept their promise not to tell them. I know they're worried about me, especially Jeremy because he has seen me go through this before but it wasn't so bad last time._

_Moving in with Bonnie didn't help, either. I hoped she would distract me a little from the pain but it doesn't work. It's not her fault. It's mine because I don't dare to open myself up to anything. I don't even know what happiness is anymore. I'm too scared to experience it only to get crushed again in the end. I can't take that risk. There's only so little of me left…_

_I know I should be grieving for my boyfriend instead of holding on to something that was so wrong and doomed to fail since the beginning. But I can't. I can't let it go. I can't let __**him**__ go. _

_It's true. You never know what you've got until it's gone…_

_The truth is, I miss Damon – despite what he's done to me. I miss the careless times I spent with him. Like I'd told him on the back porch of the Boarding House, I want to go back to these times. Just party with him, go to concerts, hang at the beach, whatever, as long as we're together. _

_I would have never thought that Damon would become such an important part of my life. But he has and… I want him to be in my life again. I'd do anything._

Elena closed her diary and put in on the nightstand. Then she got up, left the guest room she had been sleeping in for the past two weeks and went downstairs where Bonnie was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

She wanted to talk to her about it before she actually did anything. She counted on her advice.

She told Bonnie that he had come to realize how much the older Salvatore brother meant to her and she wanted to make things right with him. She half-expected the witch to call her crazy or to get mad at her but she didn't. She reacted like Jeremy. Anything to help her get better. Elena didn't need more encouragement.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours," she told Bonnie, grabbed her coat and left.

* * *

Damon was in his room, getting ready. He was supposed to meet Katherine in hours but he like to prepare himself early.

While adjusting the collar of his shirt he pricked his ears. It was dead-silent in the house. Stefan was out, hunting and the teenagers were out, doing whatever. He couldn't help but notice that it had gotten awfully quiet in the house since Elena had moved out two weeks ago. But he couldn't do anything about it. She had decided to end their friendship. Moving out had been her call as well. He didn't expect her to come back to him. He believed that it was over. Part of him found it sad. He had enjoyed their friendship. They had had a couple of good times together. Personally, he would still like to be her friend if she wasn't accusing Katherine of lies. That was what it was. Lies. None of her predictions had come true yet. So maybe it actually was nothing but jealousy.

Suddenly his train of thoughts was interrupted by his ringing cell phone. Slightly annoyed he glanced at the display to find that he didn't know the number that was calling.

"Who is this and where did you get this number?" he demanded.

"_Damon? It's Bonnie. Elena gave me your number ICE."_

"What do you want?"

"_I've been wondering where Elena is."_

"How should I know? I haven't seen her since she moved out," Damon said irritated.

"_What do you mean? She left early for your place. She was going to talk to you about everything. She wanted you guys to make up,"_ Bonnie told him worriedly. _"So she never made it to you?"_

Damon did no longer listen. His mind was racing and processing what he had just learnt. Elena had wanted to talk things over, maybe had even been willing to forgive him. But she had never gotten a chance to because she had never made it to him. The case was clear. Someone had taken her…

"_Damon, you still there?"_ Bonnie's frantic voice reached his ears and he snapped out of his trance.

"Yeah. I'll find her. Don't worry," he said and hung up.

He shoved his phone into his pocket and headed for the door to leave. In all the rush he missed the figure that had been moving behind him. He only noticed something was wrong when he felt a needle pierce his back and the pain that followed.

He slowly sank to the floor, crying out in pain.

_Vervain, _he realized. And in a large amount. He couldn't even face his attacker. Already seconds later everything went black and he passed out.

* * *

_No John. I just enjoyed that shocking moment ;)_

_Isobel's back and then she's gone again. Poor Elena :(_

_Fortunately Damon isn't as heartless as we originally thought. He misses Elena, too and that's important for the next chapter. _

_And Elena and Bonnie made up. That's important for the next chapter, too xD_

_Three guesses who took Elena? Right, that person._

_So there will be lots of suspense in the next chapter! AND a surprise for you. We finally made it to "THE EVENT". So you have something to look forward to!_

_Later! _


	59. Coming For You Pt 1

_Okay, first I'm so incredibly sorry for leaving you guys hanging for weeks. Somehow this chapter got longer and longer and I had to split it again but it's still long. That's why it took me so long to finish this arc. But now I have and I'm happy to present you two chapters in a row. On today and one tomorrow as it is a two-parter. _

_So what can you expect? It's gonna be:_

_- long _  
_ - intense _  
_ - confusing _  
_ - heartbreaking _  
_ - romantic _  
_ - psychotic _  
_ - exciting _  
_ - powerful _  
_ - sad_

_Much to promise, I know but I won't fail you. It will be all of the above. So I'm gonna stop babbling and just let you read. Enjoy!_

_P.S Thank you so much for so many reviews to my last chapter! I'm so happy that you're responding to my request! ^-^  
_

**

* * *

Chapter 59: Coming For You Pt. 1**

**_Elena's illusion_**_**, Salvatore Sanatorium, 2010**  
_

_When Elena woke up with a terrible headache she briefly didn't know where she was. Everything was very blurry… After blinking a few times her eyesight became clearer and she recognized the place. She was in one of the rooms of the Salvatore Manor, that was for sure. And a glance out of the window specified that she was in Stefan's room._

_But it looked different. When had Stefan rearranged and redecorated this room? It no longer looked like the cozy and neat bedroom of a young man. The soft king-sized bed had been replaced by three mattresses on steel sticks. She was lying on one of them. The posters were gone and the lack of them revealed the grey, marble walls. Gone, too, were the carpets and the wooden floor. They had been replaced by cold, grey and stony floor tiles._

_Everything in this room appeared completely depressing. _

"_What the–?" Elena muttered and straightened up, holding her pounding head. Where was the heading coming from? What had happened?_

_Startling she became aware of the lightness around her neck. She gripped in front of her chest and got a hold on… nothing. Her vervain necklace was gone! Someone must have taken it while she had been unconscious. Suddenly shivering she hugged herself against the cold that was surrounding her. Without her necklace she felt exposed, almost naked, extremely vulnerable and simply weak. _

_Who had taken it and why? She wondered briefly._

_Then suddenly the door opened and interrupted her thinking._

_She gasped at the sight of the person who had just joined her. It was Katherine. Her appearance had changed, too. She wasn't wearing her slim and sexy clothes but a white coat that reached her knees. Around her neck hung a stethoscope. She looked like a doctor. Why would she dress like that?_

_The fact that she was exposed to compulsion only occurred to Elena when Katherine closed the door with a small smile. This smile was similar to her usual smirk. It was creepy. Now Katherine turned around to Elena, still smiling._

"_How are you, Elena?"_

_She sounded genuinely concerned which was weird for her. All Elena could get out was a "what?" as she watched Katherine walking over to her bed and grew more and more frantic with every step she came closer._

_When Katherine stopped right beside her and took a seat on the bed she burst out "What did you do now? What happened to the house? And how are you giving me this headache?" _

_Katherine sighed deeply and a frown appeared on her forehead. _

"_This house hasn't changed during the last two hours, Elena," she answered patiently with a trace of sadness in her voice like she was telling a ten year old that Santa Claus was only fiction. "And as to your headache, I assume it's an aftereffect of your little accident."_

"_What are you talking about? What accident?" Elena inquired confused. _

"_You tried to run away. Again. And while struggling against the nurses your head hit the furniture quite hard. You had been unconscious for two hours," Katherine explained logically._

"_Nurses? What the – Of course I'd run away from you!" Elena stammered. "You're still after me for your crazy adoption plans!"_

_Katherine sighed again. "Are you back to that now? Elena, as hard as it is to believe, I wish you no harm. I want to help you."_

"_Like duh," Elena snapped. "You ruined my whole life! And not only mine! You haunted my mom and drove her into vampirism! You compelled Caroline into believing you were me. You took her away from me! You took everything away from me! School... Stefan... Damon..."_

_At the thought of Damon she fell silent. Thinking of him just hurt too much. Katherine gave her a pitiful look that made her blood boil again. _

"_I suggest you don't flare up. I'm pretty sure it worsens the headache," Katherine replied calmly. "I can give you something to dull the pain," she offered._

"_Forget it! I won't accept anything from you!" Elena refused. "You've only given me pain since the beginning!" _

"_As you wish," Katherine obliged.__ Elena frowned. Since when did Katherine do what other told her to do...? "Do you realize it now?" asked Katherine who had noticed the change in her mimic, softly. "I really don't want to hurt you."_

"_If I oblige, that is," Elena corrected. "I don't know why you even bother. I'm vervain-free in case you haven't noticed. So why don't you just compel me? You can tell me to do anything. You already won," she finished bitterly._

_She would have never believed that it would be so easy for Katherine to get her. Then of course without Stefan and Damon's protection it was very easy..._

"_You don't give up, don't you?" Katherine said, sounding exhausted. "Will it help to show you the brutality of reality again? I think it's the only effective way of treating you. Though I'm not a fan of shock therapy..."_

"_Case? Shock therapy?" Elena repeated confused. "What are you pretending to be? A shrink? Stop messing with my head already!"_

"_None of this is my doing, Elena. It's all yours," Katherine told her calmly. "Come on. Let's go downstairs. We'll continue the treatment. Reality will reach you at some point, I'm sure."_

_She offered her hand to Elena who slapped it away._

"_Be careful you might have a concussion," her doppelganger warned her and put an arm around her to help her walk._

_Elena shrugged her off. "Don't touch me! I'm fine!"_

"_According to your temper I even believe you," Katherine retorted and gestured to her to follow her._

_They walked out of the room, into the hallway and Elena didn't take long to figure that the design of the Salvatore manor had definitely changed. The hallway and the foyer looked as creepy as what used to be Stefan's bedroom. Those grey, cold, naked walls were freaking her out._

"_What happened to the house? It looks creepy," Elena remarked._

"_As I told you before, nothing happened to it. I suppose you once again forgot where you are, Elena," Katherine replied._

_Elena ignored her reply and took a look around. The manor was unusually crowded. At least 20 people were occupying the hallway and the parlor that looked as creepy as the rest of the house. Event he fireplace, the only thing that hadn't changed couldn't make up for it. _

"_What are all those people doing in the house?" Elena asked bewildered._

"_So I was right," Katherine stated. "You must have hit your head petty hard. These people are the other patients, of course."_

"_Patients? What's this? A freak show? Where did you take me?" Elena demanded._

"_This is hardly a freak show, Elena," Katherine answered sadly. "As hard as it is to realize, this is your home Elena. The Salvatore Sanatorium. It's been your home for the past one and a half year."_

_Elena stared at her with her eyes wide open.

* * *

_

**Reality – The Tomb, 2020**

"Come on, get in here!" Bonnie urged and pulled him inside.

"The tomb? Seriously?" Damon said incredulously.

"Shut up," Bonnie muttered and started chanting.

The rock in front of the tomb began to move until locked them up completely.

"This will buy us some time," Bonnie explained. "They need a with to get to us."

"They have one. Lucy," Damon reminded her.

"They'll have to fetch her first," Bonnie replied. "I can stand up to her for while."

"How long?" Damon inquired.

"An hour," the witch answered. "That's how long the spell will last."

She knelt down on the ground and placed some candles around them. "Never would've predicted this. Us working together one day," she added casually, lighting the candles.

"Yeah. Tell me again why didn't you think of this sooner?" Damon asked.

"I don't flip through the Grimoire when I'm bored. Only if I'm desperate," Bonnie stated matter-of-factly.

"It took you ten years to become desperate enough?" Damon countered incredulously.

Bonnie shrugged. "I'm tough."

"Right..." He huffed. "Us working together, huh? That's it. When I go back we'll save Elena together."

"You think I'd work with you?" Bonnie replied skeptically.

"I know the both of us were quite arrogant back then. But I also know both of us cared about Elena," he said.

"True," she agreed. "Do you already know how you'll influence your past self?"

"I figured it'd be the most effective way to plant a dream into his mind," he answered self-consciously.

"Good idea," she acknowledged.

"Thank you," he said smugly. "So how does this spell work exactly?"

"It'll send you back ten years in time," Bonnie told him, flipping through the Grimoire.

"Before or after Katherine abducts Elena?"

"My lucky guess is after she abducts her but before this whole madness started." She stopped when she had found the spell. "I don't where it'll send you to though. You have exactly one hour to get to the past Damon and persuade him to go and safe Elena and take me along. You think you can do that?"

"Positive."

"Anything left unclear?" Bonnie asked, getting to her feet with the Grimoire in her hands.

"Yeah. If we manage to pull this off without getting caught and killed, will you go out with me?" Damon asked.

Bonnie blushed. She blamed the whole desperate situation for working with him and actually getting along. But after all they were the only ones fighting left. Maybe that was what had made them bond.

"I'll think about it," she said smiling faintly. "Good luck," she added before starting to chant.

A minute passed without anything happening then suddenly Damon disappeared with a loud 'plop'.

Bonnie turned around to the exit, while flipping through the Grimoire and looking for more shield spells she could place on the tomb. She guessed to have about half an hour before Katherine and her minions would come back to get them.

_

* * *

**Damon's dream, 2010**  
_

_Damon opened his eyes to find that he was not along. Someone was standing in front of him. And worse, this person looked exactly like him!_

"_Who are you?" Damon groaned. The vervain was getting to him. "And how do you do that? Looking like me?"_

_The man smirked. "I'm you of course."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I'm from the future," the older Damon explained._

"_From the future?" the present Damon repeated. "You're kidding right? The vervain is making me fuzzy. You can't travel through time."_

"_Yes, I can with Bonnie's aid," Future Damon answered. "She cast a spell to send me back to this time and I don't have much time left for you. So listen up. It's about Elena. Katherine took her, right?"_

"_How do you–?"_

"_I told you I'm from the future! I know exactly what's gonna happen next."_

"_And what's that?"_

"_You go and save Elena of course. Take Bonnie with you. You'll need her in order to save Elena. And forget about Katherine once and for all. She got between us and Elena but really who's the real asset to your life? You know the answer yourself already. It is very important that you save Elena and if possible kill Katherine, got it?"_

"_What will happen if I don't make it? How will it affect the future?" the younger Damon inquired._

"_Katherine turned Elena after she got her pregnant. They're terrorizing Mystic Falls together. They call them 'TVT – The Villainous Twins'." The present Damon swallowed hard. "Can I be sure that you will do anything to prevent that from happening?"_

"_Yes, you can. I'll save Elena and I'll kill Katherine," Present Damon replied determinedly. _

"_Good luck," Future Damon then said and disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

_

**Reality, Salvatore Manor, 2010**

Damon opened his eyes and scanned the room. He way lying in his bed, alone again. But next to him on the bedside table were a couple of blood bags, that would help him regain his strength and neutralize the vervain in his system, together with a note.

_Try the school basement._

Damon opened the first blood bag and greedily emptied its content before continuing with the remaining ones.

Once he was at his usual strength he immediately grabbed his car keys and drove over to Bonnie's. When he arrived their he nearly destroyed her front door because he knocked so hard against it.

After a minute Bonnie finally opened.

"Damon," she greeted him plainly.

"Hey," he said. "If I told you my future self paid me a visit and told me to work together with you in order to save Elena from Katherine, would you believe me?"

"No," Bonnie answered truthfully.

"Neither would I," Damon agreed. "And if I told you there's a time travel spell in the Grimoire?"

* * *

**Reality, The Tomb, 2020**

When Damon returned to his own time the world was spinning. The time travels were making him dizzy. But he didn't have time to spend much thought on it because apparently during his absence all hell had broken loose.

"Damon! Thank God, you're back!" Bonnie said weakly. "Did you make it?"

"I think so," he replied. "I take it they're back?"

"Yes, and I can't stop them, Damon." Her voice was shaking just like her whole body. "It's Lucy. She's too strong. She's penetrating my barrier."

"No!" Damon said frantically and gripped her arm tightly. "You mustn't give in! Draw energy from me! I'll help you! Take my strength!"

Bonnie sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry," she apologized and then her barrier disappeared and she collapsed.

With a loud noise the rock that had locked them up shattered to pieces. Damon turned around, ready to run deeper into the tomb but mid-run he felt something pierce his back and he fell to the ground, paralyzed. His strength only lasted to pull the vervain dart out of him and to lay flat on his back, breathing heavily, and watch Katherine and her minions walk closer.

Katherine turned to the person next to her. "You'll finish him off."

The person nodded and approached Damon. The closer she came the more moonlight fell on her silhouette and revealed her identity. It was Elena.

Damon had seen her before. He knew that she looked different but now in that moment she had never looked more evil and menacing before. And the stake in her hand combined with the determination in her voice intensified the image by a thousand times. She completely and honestly scared.

He shook his head. "Please, no," he begged her.

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" she remarked without compassion.

"No." Damon shook his head vehemently. "I never gave up. I vowed to save you."

"I don't need saving."

"Yes, you do," Damon insisted. "This isn't you. This creepy, full-fledged Katherine doppelganger. I still remember you. The real Elena."

That was right. All this time, during the last ten years he had held on to the memory of her. The sweet Elena he fell in love with and whom he still loved today. Those memories were the only thing on one could take away from him. He would treasure them always.

And while Elena bent over him with the stake in her hands and said "Sorry to disappoint you but this person is gone forever" and it seemed like she was moving the lethal weapon to his broken heart in slow motion, all these memories flooded his mind.

_So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered_

_And I can't explain what happened_

_And I can't erase the things that I've done_

_No I can't_

He remembered watching her write in her diary at the cemetery and their first official meeting at the manor, only a day later. He recalled their first deep conversation in her kitchen when she had offered him sympathy for the loss of Katherine for the first time. He travelled down memory lane past their first road trip, them saving Stefan together, their dance at the Mystic Falls pageant, their perfect summer in California to their final roadtrips to Duke where he had proclaimed them soulmates. He had never made it to prove it to her. But he had believed it. He really had. This Katherine copy in front of him was right though. The Elena he missed, the Elena he loved… she was forever gone, far away from saving. He just hoped that unlike him the Damon in 2010 wouldn't fail to save her.

_How could this happen to me?_

_I've made my mistakes_

_Got nowhere to run_

_The night goes on_

_As I'm fadin' away_

_I'm sick of this life_

_I just wanna scream_

_How could this happen to me?_

And that was the only comfort he felt when the stake finally pierced his heart and everything went black. It was over for him. He didn't even hear Bonnie's cries.

"Get the witch," Katherine ordered to her minions. "I could use a second one. She'll be useful one I turned her around."

The minions came for her and Bonnie let them. With Damon dead she didn't have any strength to fight left. But she, too, hoped that his efforts wouldn't have been for nothing.

* * *

_**Elena's Illusion, The Salvatore Sanatorium, 2010**  
_

"_The Salvatore what?" _

"_The Salvatore Sanatorium," Katherine repeated. "That's what the clinic is called. Named after the founders of this facility but you know that of course."_

_Elena stared at her, shaking her head in disbelief. "Either you have lost your mind or I'm starting to lose mine. This is so –"_

"_I see with the headache comes amnesia," Katherine said, nodding knowingly. "But that's okay. We'll just start from scratch."_

"_Stop it already!" Elena spat. "I'm not delusional. I know what's real and what's not. Quit playing games, Katherine. I mean, why the effort? We both know why you kidnapped me. And I'm tired of fighting so let's just get it over with, okay? And once this is over I'm free from you. You'll never step into my life again. Ever. Deal?" _

"_Deal," Katherine agreed. "I'm glad you're finally willing to accept my help."_

"_What help? No, I –"_

"_Come on," Katherine cut her off. "I'll show you around. Refresh your memories. You're friends are dying to see you. They were worried about you."_

"_What did you do to them?" Elena flared. "I swear if anyone I care about is hurt I'll–"_

"_They're all fine. Come on," Katherine replied, put her hands on Elena's shoulders and led her into the parlor which was full of people, most of them completely delusional, babbling about fictive threats or talking to themselves. They were freaking her out._

"_Ah, there are your friends," Katherine said and pointed at two people standing in a corner, Bonnie and Caroline._

_Elena immediately freed herself out of Katherine's grasp and ran over to them. _

"_Bonnie, I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. But then again I'm not really sure. Since she could've been messing with your head, too. Where are we, Bonnie? The place is giving me the creeps. We have to leave now before Katherine can even cause more damage."_

"_Um, hi, Elena. Nice to see you, too," remarked Caroline whom Elena had ignored completely, sourly._

"_Elena, are you alright? I heard you hit your head quite hard," Bonnie said and patted Elena's head._

"_I'm fine," Elena snapped and slapped her hand away. "Look, I need you to get us out of here. Like a spell or something. Transport us out of here. Away from Katherine."_

"_I'm sorry, I can't, Elena," Bonnie apologized._

"_Are you a witch are not? Elena spat._

"_Only because you made me one!" Bonnie defended herself._

"_What?"_

"_Hey, let's not overwhelm her," Katherine voice reached Elena's ears as her firm hands found Elena's shoulders again._

"_Let go of me!" Elena snapped and shrugged her off. "Leave me alone!"_

_She turned on her heels and hurried out of the parlor. She wouldn't let Katherine get to her. Bonnie might have been confused by her but maybe the others escaped her compulsion. If Bonnie and Caroline were in here then the other probably were, too. She didn't think about the how. She spent all her thoughts on finding the others, Jeremy and… Stefan… and Damon and to get out of this mess. She ran upstairs, ignoring the headache and checked the rooms until she found her brother. _

"_Jeremy! There you are. Please tell me you're alright in the head," she said, cupping his face._

"_What? Elena, are you okay?" Jeremy eyed her worriedly._

"_No. It's Katherine. She brought us to this weird place. Didn't you notice how the house has changed? Please tell me she didn't compel you, too!"_

"_Elena, you seem pretty out of it. Calm down."_

"_You still know that she's a vampire, right? What's she been doing to me for the past six weeks?" she demanded._

"_Yeah, sure," Jeremy answered._

"_Oh, Jer!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly._

"_So do you already have a plan how to get out of here? To escape Doctor Pierce – I mean Katherine?" Jeremy quickly corrected himself._

_Elena froze. Then she let go of him and slowly backed away._

"_Not you, too…"_

"_Elena–"_

"_No!"_

_She turned her back on him and left the room. Not really paying attention where she as heading she bumped right into someone. She raised her head to look at Isobel and her eyes filled with tears. Isobel was just like Katherine wearing a white coat. She was one of the fake doctors, too._

"_Elena," she said at her sight. "Calm down. It's alright."_

"_No, it's not," Elena sobbed, shaking her head. "I know you're not my real mother."_

_She darted past her, along the hallway and into an seemingly empty room. There she stood hugging herself and fighting back tears until someone entered through the en-suite bathroom and Elena felt like she was about to shatter._

_In front of her stood Damon, her friend Damon. He looked at her with concern in his eyes as he approached her._

"_Elena," he whispered softly._

_Meeting his gaze teary-eyed Elena gathered all her remaining hope. Damon was a vampire so he couldn't be compelled. He was able to get her out of this hell in the blink of an eye._

"_Damon," she began. "You have to get me out of here asap. Katherine's messing with my head and it all seems too real," she told him. "I don't know how much longer I can stay sane. Please, Damon, help me before she get me."_

"_How I am supposed to do that," he asked her._

"_Are you a vampire or not?" Elena shouted impatiently at him._

"_No," she answered simply. "I know you want me to be one but I can't. Katherine says it's not healthy."_

_He let the last fragment of hope shatter inside her. Now she broke down completely. She burst into tears and didn't even fight him when Damon stepped closer and pulled her into an embrace._

"_Hush, it's gonna be okay," he told her softly._

"_No, it's not," Elena contradicted. "Everything's a mess."_

"_It will be better once you let Katherine help you."_

_Elena shook her head as she continued to cry into his chest._

"_I miss you, Damon," she sobbed. "I miss you so much."_

"_But I'm right here."_

"_No," Elena replied. "You're not the real one. I want you back."_

_Damon didn't reply anything to that. He just held her and let her cry. In this regard he reminded her of the real Damon. But his presence wasn't comforting her because she knew that he wasn't the real one. And she also knew that she would probably never see him again. Never apologize to him like she had planned to. She would never be able to restore their friendship… Because he was with Katherine. And he would always be. She wouldn't get out of this mess. Katherine wouldn't let her. She had won this one. She had won._

_And while she cried all these depressing thoughts came crashing down on her like a tsunami, drowning her, killing her. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe…_

"_Ah, Damon, you found her. Thank God. I was worried."_

_At the sound of the voice that sounded so much like her own, Elena jumped. Frantically she turned around to see Katherine. Her first instinct was to run. She wound out of Damon's embrace and darted for the door. Katherine must have seen that coming. Unable for Elena's eyes to follow she reached the door in a split second, blocked her way and got a hold on her. Elena struggled hard against Katherine but she didn't have a chance against her enemy. Katherine was a more than 500 year old vampire. She was a 100 times stronger than her._

_Increasing the grip on her Katherine called into the hallway "I need a straight jacket! Now!"_

_Less than a minute later two male nurses entered the room, bringing the straight jacket with them. They forced the struggling Elena into the jacket and dragged her out of the room._

"_Give her something to calm down. I'll be right there," Katherine said and disappeared into another room.

* * *

_

_So Katherine is one psychotic bitch. We'll see if Elena will have to strength to fight her illusion or give in eventually._

_Now you know what I meant when I wrote I was thinking about a future sequence. I hope it wasn't too strange. I just thought it would fit very well. And Damon needed someone to make him stop obsession over Katherine ._

_Wasn't the last future scene heartbreaking? I almost cried when I wrote it and when I added the lyrics I couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Hopefully Damon and Bonnie will manage to save Elena!  
_


	60. Coming For You Pt 2

_Reading your review I take it I really confused you guys, huh? I'll try to clear the fog a little._

_So in the future Katherine kidnapped Elena just like now, pulled this sanatorium crap and made her mind decide to believe this twisted reality of no supernatural creatures whatsoever. Continuing the compulsion this decision let Elena "get better" and once she was completely lost in Katherine's imaginary world Katherine brainwashed Elena completely, intensifying her bad side, got her pregnant with a no-name and then turned her. So Elena died and woke up as a vampire with all kinds of evil on her mind. That was when the era of terror began._

_I really don't want to get into detail about this arc and I probably won't write a spin-off or something about this because honestly I want to focus on the bright side of Elena and not on the doom side. Once you finished this chapter you will know what I mean^^_

_Anyway, of course some of you guessed it right. An episode of another great show called Charmed inspired me^^° I'm going to study Psychology next year and I'm totally fascinated by this field. So, please don't hate^^° _

_So... the last chapter probably only got 10 comments either because it was confusing or sad or whatever. But do you think you can still get over it and reach the 600 reviews mark if "The Event" and a happy ending is waiting for you? _ :)

**

* * *

Chapter 60****: Coming For You Pt. 2**

_I'm breakin down, I just can't take it anymore, oh no_

_I won't let you go, you know I'm comin for you_

_No matter what it's gonna take I gotta make this move_

_You're the one that I chose, you know I'm comin for you

* * *

_

**Reality, Bonnie's place**

"So, do you have already have a clue where they could be?" Bonnie asked Damon as they walked over to his car.

"Yeah, I have a clue about it," Damon answered. "It's actually a pretty good hideout," he continued. "Remember when Katherine pretended to go to school? She was rather checking out the location. She's always one step ahead that bitch!" He kicked his car in frustration.

"Damon, calm down," Bonnie said. "It's gonna be okay."

"No, it's not!" he contradicted exasperatedly. "Because it's entirely my fault! Katherine's been using me all this time to get to Elena and I didn't realize it! In fact I totally blew it with Elena for that evil bitch! And if Elena gets hurt tonight or worse I'll be forever reminded of it because it will be my fault…"

Bonnie silently listened to his heartbreaking outburst. His shaking voice, beating himself up over this was sending shivers down her spine. Being weak was totally not Damon-like.

"Hey," she softly got his attention. "It hasn't come to that yet. We can still change history. In fact you already have by taking me along. I promise you, history will not be repeating itself."

She gave him a small, encouraging smile which he returned after a short hesitation.

"Let's go kick some vampire ass," he said and the got into his car.

* * *

**Reality, School Basement**

Like she had promised Elena Isobel had stuck around. She had watched Katherine in horror and in anger taking her daughter, hurting her till unconsciousness, drag her here into the school basement and compelling her mercilessly. But at some point she had enough. During her testing session with Elena she had bonded with her once lost daughter. She wasn't ready to lose her again and especially not to the wench who had terrorized their family for centuries. It was time to end it. She could no longer stand back and watch. Even if it meant her death. Isobel would try to save her daughter.

Without a real plan Isobel sped into the room where Katherine kept Elena and dragged her away from her daughter. The surprise caught Katherine off guard for a moment but she quickly regained composure and stopped Isobel mid-action when she tried to drive a stake through her heart.

"Really, a stake?" Katherine said and ripped the weapon out of her hand.

Isobel had nothing to defend herself with. Yet she looked fearless into Katherine's eyes.

"You bitch," she hissed. "Leave my daughter alone!"

"Or what?" Katherine mocked. "You'll kill me? How? You're a weak vampire, Isobel. I've got 500 years on you. I can easily kill you and I will. Did you think I wouldn't notice how you switched sides to protect and be there for your daughter. I don't miss anything, Isobel and I really don't like it if someone opposes my orders. So, goodbye, Isobel."

And with that she plunged the stake into Isobel's heart and killed her. Then she just disposed of her body by throwing it into the aisle that led to the exit of the basement before resuming to compel Elena.

* * *

**Reality, Mystic Falls High School**

"Okay," Damon said as he pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. "We're here. I can't sense any minions lurking around. She probably thinks we wouldn't be on to her."

"Yeah, well, I certainly wouldn't if you hadn't said so. Pulling this off during the school Halloween night quite risky," Bonnie replied.

"Or just smart."

They got out of the car.

"Is there a back entrance to the basement or something?" Damon inquired. He didn't want to push his way through a bunch of people.

"Yes, follow me," Bonnie told him.

She led him to the back entrance that looked like the entrance to a store room which it turned out to be. They crossed the store room for the canteen and turned into a narrow aisle.

"I think they're at the end of the aisle," Bonnie whispered. "Can you hear something?"

"No, nothing. Be quiet," he instructed. "Wait here. I'm gonna take a peek."

"No, Damon– " Bonnie started but he had already sped away. So she waited impatiently for him to return which he did after a few minutes.

"So?" she demanded.

"I think she's compelling her," Damon told her. "Elena's unconscious. So she must be planting an illusion into her mind and confuse her that way."

"Did she sense you?"

"I don't think so but I can't say for sure."

"What are we gonna do?" Bonnie wanted to know.

"We have to break her link to Elena's mind," Damon mused aloud. "Surprise attack and then we have to keep her away from Elena. Shield her somehow…"

"I can do that. I know a spell," Bonnie said. "I can create a barrier around us while you untangle Elena and get her to wake up."

"Sounds like a plan," Damon agreed. "There's one more thing though."

"What is it?"

"Isobel. She's dead."

* * *

**_Elena's Illusion, The Salvatore Sanatorium_**

_Elena felt miserable. She was defeated. She was in the basement now, lying flat on her back in a hard bed and tied with unbreakable strings. No matter how much she tore at them they wouldn't give in. After a while she gave up, to save her strength for later. Something told her she would need it later._

_Elena had lost the feeling of time. She couldn't remember how long she had been down here, alone. Then after what seemed like ages Katherine joined._

"_Did you calm down?" she asked her._

"_On the outside," Elena answered sourly._

"_That'll suffice for now." Katherine took a seat on a chair next to the bed. "I know reality can be cruel at times–"_

"_This is not reality," Elena emphasized. "This is a twisted illusion you planted into my mind."_

"_That's not true, Elena," Katherine contradicted. "Maybe if I tell you your story from the beginning of our treatment you will remember it again and realize that you're right in the middle of a brutal reality." Elena scoffed at that. "Please just listen, Elena. I only want to help you but I can't if you don't open yourself up to it." Elena was silent, staring at the ceiling. She didn't even notice that Katherine had already begun to tell 'her story' to her. "I believe it was nearly two years ago when the Gilberts car went off Wickery Bridge and you lost your adoptive parents," Katherine began. "You never got over the loss. You drowned in your misery and when your aunt Jenna couldn't think of a way to make you feel better she brought you here. That's when your treatment began. However instead of getting better you got worse and turned the clinic upside-down. I believe the other patients who were more mentally-ill than you scared you," Katherine mused. "Anyway, you quickly found some friends in here. I'm talking about Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Stefan and Damon who had fallen in disgrace of their father. Damon had a severe post-trauma from the military experience . After the tragic death of their father Damon's condition got worse after accidently killing his uncle Zach, only family member left they got caught by the police who brought them here. I think you felt a connection to them through the great loss the three of you had suffered. _

_Back to you. Like I said the other patients and the new environment probably scared you and so you made up this frightening and equally fascinating supernatural world and got lost in it. You even got others involved into it. Everyone has his role in your world. You made Stefan and Damon and me vampires. You proclaimed your childhood friend Bonnie how never got over the loss of her grandmother as witch and you didn't stop there. I believe you were going to make Tyler a werewolf and Caroline and vampire next. I'm sorry, Elena but at that point I had to intervene. It can't go on like this. You need to let go of this world and face reality. We're all human, Elena. Nothing more, nothing less."_

_The story was good. Elena had to give her credit for that and if she wasn't so bound on that vampires were real she would probably believe her._

"_If none of this is real than why do we look alike, huh?" she challenged Katherine. "How are you going to explain that if not by vampirism?"_

"_Ah, here we go," Katherine sighed. "The most cruel part. Elena, believe me, I was as mad and depressed about it as you at first but then I __accepted it. We do have lost years but we got back who we lost." Elena stared at her in confusion. Now she had lost her. "We're sisters, Elena," Katherine told her then. "Our mother Isobel gave us up for adoption after our birth. You were adopted by the Gilberts and I was raised by the Pierce family. I once told you that before you decided to avoid this troublesome subject that added only more misery to your situation. But it's half as bad, Elena. Now we're older and our parents are older and they offer us a fresh start as family. You need to forgive them, too, Elena," Katherine finished. "And you have to forgive me, Elena," she added. "I know you hate me because you think I'm taking everyone away from you. But that's not true and you know it. I didn't force Stefan or Damon to fall in love with me. They did that on their own. You think it's only the resemblance but it's more than that. I love Stefan. I grew to love him while he was in a relationship with you. I know doctor-patient-relationships are not allowed but I couldn't stop loving Stefan and honestly, can you blame me?"_

_Elena's eyes filled with tears. Listening to Katherine hurt her. She couldn't __block her out. She was forced to listen to each of her words. She was exposed to reality. That was what it probably was after all. The truth, reality. Everything Katherine told her was cruel and impossible to believe but unfortunately it made perfectly sense, even to her. Maybe this was real.

* * *

_

**Reality, School Basement**

Katherine was completely focused on compelling Elena. So she wasn't aware of the two new presences arriving in the basement until one of them attacked her and jerked her away from the subject of her compulsion.

"Now, Bonnie!" Damon shouted while struggling with Katherine.

Bonnie ran over to Elena and started chanting.

"Damon, get over here!" she ordered when she felt the barrier building up. Damon didn't hesitate and sped to her side in an instant. The moment he stepped into the barrier, Bonnie stepped out. Katherine followed suit but slammed against the invisible shield. A smirk appeared on Damon's face as she turned to Elena to invade her mind.

Meanwhile Bonnie took on Katherine. She had brought some of Alaric's weapons to defend herself and keep Katherine away from Elena and Damon.

The problem was she didn't really have time to improve her combat skills. The vervain darts and the stakes she threw at Katherine all missed their destination, Katherine's heart. Furiously Katherine pulled a stake out of her shoulder, dropped it and then lunged at Bonnie. The witch tried to create an aneurism in the vampire's head but had to face a failure. She couldn't hurt Katherine that way. Frozen in shock Bonnie made it to create another barrier around herself while keeping up the one around her friends. Katherine slammed against that one, too but didn't stop to try to break it, gradually weakening Bonnie.

* * *

_**Elena's Illusion, Salvatore Sanatorium**  
_

"_Elena," Katherine said softly and reached out to squeeze her hand. "You can__ start over. We can start over. As sisters wouldn't that be great? You'll move in with Isobel and John and start over with them, too. You can get out of here. Maybe you can even help your friends get over their depressions, too, and then you can start a life outside the clinic. You can _live_ again!"_

_At this point they were interrupted by someone who burst into the basement, crying for someone else._

"_Elena!" He reached her side. "Don't listen to her, Elena! All she's making you believe are lies! You know what's real."_

_Elena sadly shook her head. "No, I don't."_

"_Yes, you do!"_

"_All you have to do is say yes," Katherine intervened._

"_No, don't!" Damon shouted at Elena. "And you get away from you, bitch!" he added to Katherine and pushed her away. Katherine stumbled behind the basement door and then the door slammed shut. He turned back to Elena. "Now, Elena, I need you to believe me. Everything you know is real. Forge the crap Katherine told you."_

_She shook her head again. "No, you're not a vampire. Neither is Katherine."_

"_Yes, she is! And right now she's messing with your head! You mustn't let her! You mustn't give in!"_

_From the distance they could hear Katherine shouting something unintelligible. "Look, I'm sorry I treated you so badly. You were right since the beginning, Elena. She was only using me to get to you. You were right, Elena! And I'm really sorry but I need you to wake up, now!"_

"_I am awake. Katherine isn't a vampire. She can't mess with my head," Elena said._

"_But she is!" Damon insisted fiercely. "So if I wasn't a vampire then how can I do this, huh?"_

_He grabbed the strings tightly and ripped them off of her, freeing her. "So if I wasn't a vampire, how can I?" he challenged her. _

_Elena started at him in a mix of shock and amazement about what he had just done._

_Suddenly it seemed like she had been deaf and her ears had just reopened. She could hear noises now and another voice she recognized._

"_Damon, hurry! My strength is fading!"_

"_You hear that, Elena?" Damon said, sounding desperate now. "That's Bonnie. She's blocking Katherine out of your head. She came to save you together with me. But we need you to help us. So you have to wake up. Please, Elena, wake up!"_

_Suddenly Damon disappeared from her sight and Elena was alone but she could still hear his voice, begging her to wake up.

* * *

_

**Reality, School Basement**

"Damon, hurry! My strength is fading!" Bonnie shouted. Katherine had constantly been trying to break her barrier and using magic over a longer period of time was affecting her. She was growing weaker by the minute. But she forced herself to hold on until Damon was back, body and mind. And he did a moment later just when Bonnie's barrier collapsed and so did Bonnie. Katherine hurled her across the room. Bonnie hit a wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Then Katherine turned around to Damon who was ready to leap at her while shouting at Elena to wake up. They struggled again but of course Katherine was stronger than him. So he hurled him against a wall and pinned him there. In a swift movement she had stripped him of all his weapons. She took one vervain dart and drove it into his torso. Damon groaned in pain and clenched his teeth together.

"Defeated by your own little toys," Katherine mocked, sneering.

"Screw you!" Damon bit out. "You used me!"

"Of course I used you," Katherine replied matter-of-factly, stroking his face teasingly as she turned his head away. "I never loved you, Damon. Not back then, not today. I always loved Stefan. But mostly you were just part of my plan to get to Elena."

Damon averted his gaze. He hated Katherine from the bottom of his heart. He didn't need this, her mocking him. His eyes suddenly caught something in front of him and they widened, partly in surprise, partly in shock.

Elena had woken up. While Katherine had been busy pinning him she had got up and run over to Bonnie, probably to check if she was still alive. Damon quickly turned his head back to Katherine. She couldn't know that Elena was awake. But it was too late. Katherine had already noticed it, too and before Elena could prepare herself Katherine lunged at the human girl.

"ELENA!" Damon screamed in horror.

Elena wasn't stupid though. She had seen this coming. When she felt Katherine approach her she spun around and plunged two vervain darts into her body. She had been carrying one with her and so had Bonnie.

Katherine stiffened and collapsed to the ground. She tried to move but was paralyzed. Damon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. In only a few seconds Elena had turned it all around. Now she was the superior one. She hovered above Katherine with the stake Katherine had dropped earlier, ready to end it.

For the first time Katherine's eyes were filled with a to her foreign emotion. Fear.

"Please," she begged her doppelganger but Elena had anything but mercy left for her.

She gripped the stake tightly and drove it into Katherine's stomach.

"That's for ruining my life!" Elena said as Katherine cried out in agony. Then Elena pulled the stake out and yanked it into another part of the vampire's body, repeating this move over and over again. "That's for hurting Bonnie! For terrorizing my mom and my whole family tree… for messing with my mind… And this," she said, holding the stake right above Katherine's heart. "This is for toying with Stefan and Damon's heart!"

One last time she drove the stake into Katherine, right into her heart and thereby ending an era of misery. Pleased with herself Elena watched the vampire's body crumple to lifelessness.

Then she turned her head to look at Damon who was staring at her with wide eyes and open mouth. She got up, walked over to him and dropped on her knees next to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him worriedly.

"Yeah, it's just the vervain," Damon assured her, faking a smirk.

"Here," she said and offered him her hand to him so he could drink her blood.

"No, you're weak from all the tension," Damon protested.

"I'm fine," Elena assured him firmly. "Take it."

"Fine, but only if you take some of mine, too," he conditioned.

The danger was over. She wasn't likely to die within the next 24 hours so Elena agreed. Damon bit into his wrist, deep enough to draw blood. Elena brought it to her mouth and drank. At the same time Damon bit into her wrist and drank her blood.

Sharing blood with Damon was a unique experience to Elena. She had never felt so excited before. She recalled how aroused she had felt when Damon had taken her blood once before but having it sucked out of her while drinking his blood in the process intensified every emotion by a hundred per cent.

After a few gulps both of them pulled away and wiped their mouth clean. Their gazes fell on Katherine's lifeless form before meeting again.

"Why do you always have to risk your life?" Damon gently reprimanded her. "She was so pissed that she could've accidently killed you even if she didn't wan to."

"There was no one else to do it," Elena answered plainly. "I know you could have never done it. So I did it for you. Now you're finally free from her hold."

Damon's gaze burned into her eyes. He was speechless. After everything he had done she was still willing to risk her life for his sake.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully.

And then he leaned in and kissed her.

Elena didn't know what it was exactly. The fact that Katherine was finally dead or his blood in her system… All she knew was that she had never felt so happy in her life.

And then she kissed him back… and everything was perfect.

_Now that you know the truth_

_Just wanna be with you, can't hold back_

_This is real, cause what we share_

_It's undeniable, don't wanna hide no more

* * *

_

_Isobel is dead. That's tragic. I'm really sorry. I'm gonna miss her, too..._

_In case you wondered, Bonnie will be okay^^_

_Katherine's dead! Finally! I really didn't want to get into the whole The Originals arc because I find that rather confusing and difficult to write about. Maybe later but definitely not now._

_Did I promise too much? Of course the kiss was "The Event". Finally we made it! Welcome to an era of Delena! ^^  
_

_I'm in for some teen romance and teen romance only. Damon and Elena need a break, don't you think? But of course I still have a surprise waiting for you ;) So this is not the end. The show will go on ;)_


	61. The Start Of Something New

_You really did it! 60 chapters and 600 reviews! I'm so incredibly happy! Thank you so much my lovely readers! This fanfiction wouldn't have gotten ever so long without your support!_

_Now the long awaited "talk" between Damon and Elena and the outcome of it all. Enjoy! :)_

**

* * *

Chapter 61: The Start Of Something New**

_Dear Diary,_

_the events on one single evening can change your entire life. They can put an end to your current stage of life and herald the start of something new. I experienced this kind of thing last Friday._

_Katherine kidnapped me again. She compelled me so my mind was trapped in her cruel illusion. It was terrifying. I thought I'd never make it out of there. But then something happened I would have never expected._

_Damon came to save me, together with Bonnie. I'd thought I'd never see the say when they'd get over their differences and work together. Yet they did. While Damon invaded my mind to force me to wake up, Bonnie fought Katherine and kept her out of my mind by creating a barrier. _

_Poor Bonnie. The powerful magic drained her all off energy and she took a blow by Katherine but Damon said she'd be okay._

_And then the most incredible thing happened. Damon and I kissed!_

_And frankly, I can't really find a reason why. After sharing blood with him he asked me why I'd risked my life to kill Katherine and I told him the truth – that I did it for him. In that moment I could clearly see how overwhelmed he was. He thanked me, verbally at first but then he kissed me. And I kissed him back. It just felt right back then. But I guess that his blood in my system was partly to blame._

_After the kiss we woke Bonnie and got ready to leave. That was when I got the next shock. We found Isobel lifeless in the aisle. Apparently she died while trying to save me from Katherine._

_I never really got to know her and yet her loss hurts me badly. She didn't deserve to die like this. But I'm happy we got a chance to bond like mother and daughter. I'll never forget her. She'll always have a place in my heart because now I know how that she had cared about me just as much as I have cared about her. _

_We carried her body out of the school basement and then we called Alaric. He, too, was dismayed about Isobel's death and even shed a few tears for her. The four of us buried her in the woods. It was the least we could do for her. I'll check in on her every now and then, just like I have been visiting my adoptive parents' graves. _

_Since Friday I haven't talked to Damon. I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. Damon will definitely want to talk about it. I don't know what to tell him. Sorry, it was just your blood that got to my head… and heart? Then I'd be lying. There's always been something between me and Damon but I chose to ignore it to maintain our friendship which is very important to me. The other thing is, I guess I always thought I'd get back together with Stefan once Katherine was out of the way. And I'm fairly certain this is what Stefan has been thinking, too. Now Damon comes in and messes everything up._

_Well, not really. In the end it's going to me decision._

_Getting back with Stefan sounds wrong for so many reasons. I mean, he cheated on me. Twice. I can't just forgive and forget. In fact he's done the unforgivable. And if I got back with him I'd always be reminded of it and constantly wonder if it was me he was and claimed to love or Katherine…_

_36 missed calls, countless messages and now the doorbell won't stop ringing. That's him. It's __showtime…

* * *

_

Elena just closed her diary when someone came walking down the stairs and into the living room. She didn't need to turn around. She knew it was him. Jeremy and Jenna were out and he was the only one who would enter the house through her bedroom window just to get inside.

"You've been ignoring me," he muttered, circling the couch she was sitting on and came to a halt in front of her. "First you don't answer any of my countless calls or messages and then you don't even answer the door."

"I'd figured you'd find a way in anyway," she told him calmly. "So what is it, Damon? I've got homework to do."

She was mentally slapping herself. _Homework? Seriously, Elena?_ Very convincing way to avoid the subject…

Damon seemed to think the same thing as his eyes narrowed and fell on the diary in her lap.

"Doesn't look like homework to me, rather like getting something off your chest."

Why did he always have to see right through her?

"Oh and what would that be?" she challenged him.

"Oh, come on, we kissed, Elena!" Sighing he took a seat beside her on the couch. "I know you'd be mourning for Isobel so I gave you some time. But you've gotta deal with it at some point."

"So?"

"So? That's all you have to say?"

"Yeah, well, It was no big deal. It's not like I felt anything," Elena lied, avoiding further.

"Excuse me?" Damon jumped to his feet. "You can't say you didn't feel anything 'cause I don't believe you. Look, when I kissed you, it was a thank-you kiss. You didn't need to kiss me back but you did. I know you feel _something_." Elena pursed her lips and averted her gaze. Damon sighed again and went back to sit with her. "Just tell me what you're so afraid of." Elena still kept her mouth shut so he continued. "Look, I don't know what that… that thing between us is but I definitely know something has been going between the two of us. And deep down you know that, too. And I think it's worth figuring it out, don't you?"

He looked expectantly at her, waiting for her answer. This time Elena sighed deeply.

Of course Damon wouldn't just let it go. She also knew he saw an opportunity here. A chance to prove himself to her. But there was still the obvious.

"What about Stefan?" she mused aloud. Out of the corner of her eye she could see his face fall a little.

"Do you want to get back together with him?" he asked, slightly disappointed.

"No," Elena answered truthfully and Damon relaxed.

"Then go and tell him. Come on." He got up and pulled her to her feet. "We can figure out everything else later, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Elena felt miserable. She was going to crush Stefan's hopes and heart. She didn't even know what to tell him, except for the obvious. But she wanted to make it as painless as possible, without really knowing how to do so.

And then there was Damon. She was aware of that by telling Stefan her choice now she silently agreed granting Damon a chance at a relationship with her which meant trouble because she still wasn't perfectly sure about her feelings for him. Was she just attracted to him or was there more? And if there was more, was it really worth it to risk their mended friendship for it?

Apparently to Damon it was. She just had to trust him with this.

"I'll be right back," Damon announced when they entered the manor.

He went upstairs and left Elena behind in the foyer. She took a few deep breaths, bracing herself for what would inevitably come.

Not long after Damon had left Stefan appeared in front of her. He looked both, surprised and relieved to see her.

"Elena." A small smile tucked at his lips as he pulled her into a tight hug. "

"Hi," she greeted him sheepishly, hugged him briefly and then gently pushed him away.

"Damon told me what happened. How are you? I was worried," he told her.

"I'm, um, I'm fine." She forced a smile. "Look, um, I want to talk to you."

"Sure," he agreed, sounding glad. He clearly had the wrong idea of which direction this conversation would be heading.

They walked into the parlor and continued their conversation there.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Stefan asked.

Here we go, Elena thought. She took a deep breath and started.

"I um, I don't really know how to say this."

"Say what?"

"The reason I'm here is… to end things with you, properly," she informed him.

He took that in for a moment. Then he inquired "Why?"

"I had some kind of an epiphany on Friday night," she began. "I see certain things different now. My feelings have changed, too."

"But how? I thought after Katherine was dealt with we would get back together and start over."

"That's the point, Stefan. We won't. Not after what you did. You betrayed me, twice. And I can't forgive you, Stefan. I don't think I ever will." Clearly disappointed he hung his head. "And there's something else you should know. " He raised his head and looked curiously at her. "Damon and I… we kissed that night."

His eyes widened in horror and anger. "Why?"

"I don't know. For starters, because he was there to save me whereas you weren't–"

"I didn't even know that Katherine had kidnapped you!" Stefan defended himself. "Damon didn't tell me what had happened before he came back!"

"Maybe there's a reason he didn't," Elena reasoned. "Maybe you weren't supposed to know and save me but Damon. Maybe things are meant to be this way."

"I refuse to believe that," he shot back. "Damon isn't the right man for you."

"You're not the judge of that!" Elena reminded him, growing irritated herself. Why couldn't he just let it go?

"Yes, I am," he insisted. "Because I am the only person who knows you better than you know yourself. I know exactly what you need, Elena. You need peace and calm and rest and Damon can't give you either of them!"

"Please stop it," Elena begged. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "It's not fair…"

"Hey!" an angry voice intervened. Damon had joined them. He stood protectively in front of Elena and glared deathly at his brother. "Stop confusing her!" He huffed. "I'd never thought you were such a bad loser, Stefan."

"That's what it is for you, right?" Stefan said. " A competition with your little brother. And the girl's the price."

"It's not!" Damon contradicted. Stefan would never understand his feelings for Elena. They went beyond his comprehension level. Damon turned to Elena who seemed to be having a hard time not to burst into tears. "Let's go."

She nodded in agreement.

"Where you're going?" Stefan asked Damon, pointing at the bag in his hand.

"I'm moving out," Damon declared. "The way the things are we can hardly live under the same roof anymore. It's better this way for both of us."

With that he put his arm around Elena and gently led her out of the manor. Before the front door fell shut behind them they could hear the sound of shattering glass.

* * *

Back at the Gilberts' they settled in Elena's bedroom. Elena slumped on her bed, sighing. Damon took a seat behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just… I don't take breakups very well. No matter If I'm the one who breaks up or if someone breaks up with me," she told him. "I'm gonna get ready for bed."

She got up and walked over to the bathroom but stopped when something crossed her mind. She turned back to him.

"Do you already know where you'll be staying from now on?" she asked him.

"Not really but I'll find a spot, don't worry."

"You could just… you know, stay here," she offered nervously.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, we slept in the same bed before and nothing happened. If you stay on your side I won't mind," she said.

"Ah, our sleepovers," he recalled smiling. "Well, thank you, Elena."

"You're welcome," she replied, returning the smile." I'll be right back," she then added and closed the bathroom door.

* * *

One hour later Damon and Elena were lying in bed. Elena had her back turned on Damon and was facing the open window. Shivers continued to run through her body. Not because she was cold but because of Damon being so close to her. Damon didn't miss that of course.

"You cold?"

"A little," she lied, gratefully using it as an excuse.

For a moment there was silence but when Elena shivered once more Damon spoke again.

"Come here."

"Huh?"

She turned around to see him holding out his arms for her.

"Come here," he repeated.

Elena hesitated at first as this was actually strictly against their agreement but her body itched to feel him so she moved closer. She lay her head on his shoulder and put one of her arms across his chest while his arms encircled her waist.

"Better now?" he asked after a while.

"Mmm," Elena confirmed, already drifting off to sleep. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Night, Elena."

* * *

_Now wh__o would have ever thought that_

_We'd both be here tonight_

_And the world looks so much brighter_

_With you by my side_

_I know that something has changed_

_Never felt this way_

_I know it for real_

_This could be the start_

_Of something new_

_It feels so right_

_To be here with you_

_And now looking in your eyes_

_I feel in my heart_

_The start of something new

* * *

_

_Now the romance can start! All obstacles are out of the way :)_

_A feel a little sorry for Stefan though... but it's his own fault. Shouldn't have cheated on Elena. _

_Well, what else can I say? I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter and I hope you're looking forward to reading it!^^_


	62. The Farewell Gift

_I finally managed to upload a new chapter after ages. I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging. Originally I had planned to upload this earlier as a Christmas present for you but well... not much sitting in front of the PC during the holiday__s. But now here you go. I hope you'll like it like previous chapters._

_I hope you all enjoyed Christmas time with your families and got many presents ;)_

_Thanks you for your reviews to the last chapter. 15! You're killing me here! But that's a good thing! Thank you so much! =)_

_Some time ago I mentioned I've still got a surprise up my sleeve and you'll come across it in this very chapter. Our favorite villain Katherine left a farewell gift..._

_Enjoy! :)_**  


* * *

Chapter 62:**** The Farewell Gift**

The next morning when Elena woke up, she was confused at first about the fact that there was someone in bed with her – but then she remembered the who and the why and a wide smile spread on her face.

"Good morning, sunshine," Damon's voice floated into her ears and for once she didn't mind him calling her by this pet name. She actually enjoyed the sound of it.

Sleepily she opened her eyes. "Good morning," she greeted him. "Did you turn off the alarm?"

"Yeah. I couldn't stand the sound," he answered and she grinned.

"Someone in the shower?"

"Not right now, there isn't."

"Good. Then I better hurry before we run out of hot water," she said and got up much to Damon's dislike.

She grabbed some clothes from her closet and her drawer and headed for the bathroom. Knowing girls Damon stayed in bed a little longer, waiting for her to get back to him which she did half an hour later. All dried, dressed and styled. She took a seat on the bed and put on her shoes.

"You want me to give you a ride to school?" he offered.

"Thanks but I'm catching a ride with Bonnie," she replied while texting Bonnie.

When she was done she got up and grabbed her bag. Now Damon got up, too.

"Do you have to leave already?" he asked, pouting a little as he slid his arms around her waist.

"Unfortunately. Just gonna catch breakfast downstairs. Bonnie will pick me up in a few," she answered, giving him a small smile and slung her arms around his neck. "Pick me up from school at five?"

"I'll be there," he promised and leaned in to kiss her.

When she felt his lips against hers it felt like a big balloon was being blown up in her chest and the feeling even increased when she kissed him back. Kissing Damon was the best thing she had ever experienced.

Reluctantly she pulled away after a minute.

"You can stay here and grab a shower if you want," she told him. "Jenna's gonna leave any minute."

"Okay. See you later, sunshine."

"You know, I'm gonna think of a pet name for you, too," she threatened.

"Enjoy yourself."

"You bet," she assured him, gave him one last smile and walked out of the room.

* * *

She went downstairs where Jeremy was just grabbing his breakfast and lunch for later.

"Morning, Jer," she greeted him merrily, filling a cup with coffee and took a sip.

"Morning. And congratulations by the way," he added smirking.

"So you eavesdropped on us," she figured.

"Anna couldn't really help herself. Vampire hearing and all," Jeremy explained shrugging but the smirk wouldn't leave his face.

Amused Elena shook her head.

"Jenna leave yet?"

"Just out the door."

Elena finished her coffee and grabbed some food to go before they exited the house. Outside their ways parted. As Jeremy got into his car and drove off Elena got into Bonnie's.

"Morning," she chirped.

"Wow, you sound happy," Bonnie observed smiling and pulled out of the parking lot. "What happened? I want all the details!"

Elena laughed and began to tell.

* * *

After he had heard Elena and Jeremy leave Damon grabbed some of his things he had brought from the manor and headed for the bathroom. That was when he first noticed that the door to the adjoined bathroom was closed and he heard water running. Someone else was obviously occupying the bathroom already. Totally immersed in Elena he hadn't noticed it before.

So he waited patiently until the person inside had finished the shower and exited the bathroom through the regular door. Damon stepped into the hallway and was surprised to meet Anna.

"Hey you," she greeted him. "Living here too, now, huh?"

"As are you," he observed.

"For a while now," she agreed. "Well, I guess we'll meet more often in the hallway."

"Did you eavesdrop on us?"

"No, I wouldn't do that," she lied, smirking.

"Don't you have a class to attend to?" he grumbled.

"Yeah, I do. I always catch up on Jeremy later. Vampire speed and all. Quite useful when you have to share the bathroom with four people."

"Good that I don't," he said cockily and went to enter the bathroom.

"Oh, by the way, I think I just ran out of hot water," Anna called while walking downstairs.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Damon shouted indignantly.

"Nope. Enjoy your shower, Damon!"

Irritated by her laughter Damon entered the bathroom and eyed the shower. Maybe he should consider a pop in at the manor. With Stefan as the currently only resident there was definitely a lot of hot water left…

* * *

Anna exited the house and sped away. Five minutes later she reached the school parking lot where Jeremy was just pulling up.

"God, I love this," he enthused, getting out of the car. He put an arm around her and pulled her close while they walked up to the school entrance. "You have to turn me. This is so cool."

Anna just chuckled amused, shaking her head.

* * *

"You and Damon?" Bonnie exclaimed as she pulled up in front of the high school.

"Yup. Me and Damon it is," Elena confirmed, enjoying the puzzled look on her friend's face.

"But how? I don't understand," the witch asked as they got out of the car.

"After I killed Katherine we kissed," Elena told her deliberately leaving the blood exchange out. "It felt right then and it still does."

"Hmm… and Stefan?"

"Well, that's something else," Elena sighed. "He didn't take it very well. He's jealous of course but in a mean way. He told me a couple of things I want but couldn't have with Damon."

"That's really mean," Bonnie agreed. "Like what?"

"Peace and calm. But I don't agree with him. I daresay I've seen all of Damon's many sides and peace and calm is possible with him, too."

"But mostly it's an adventure with him, isn't it?" Bonnie opined.

"Yeah but I think that's a good thing. Fun, adventure, passion… these are things I never had with Stefan," Elena replied.

"Well, I don't care who you're with as long as he doesn't hurt you. If Damon makes you happy I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Bonnie," Elena said, giving her a smile which she returned.

"Do you see Caroline anywhere?"

"No, she's nowhere in sight. Maybe she's with Matt."

"No, she not. Matt's over there. Alone."

They walked over to Matt to ask about Caroline.

"Hey, Matt."

"Hey," he greeted them back. "Have you heard from Care?"

"No, we were going to ask you about her," Bonnie answered.

"I haven't seen her since Friday night," he told them. "I tried to reach her but she isn't answering her phone. It's not like her," he added worriedly.

"No, it's not," Elena agreed, exchanging a stern glance with Bonnie before dialing Caroline's number on her cell. Like Matt had told them no one answered. She shook her head. "Nothing."

"We should drop by after school. See if she's okay," Bonnie suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

At five Elena left the school building with Bonnie, quite happy. She had managed to catch up on some of the things she had missed while Katherine had terrorized her. She had signed up for Yearbook because Bonnie had gotten her in and newspaper. Starting in the middle of the term was difficult but a girl in the group had assured her that it was no problem since Caroline was head of the group.

Hearing the name of her second best friend Elena's thoughts returned to Caroline. She was really worried about her. The last time she had missed school was when she had been with Katherine. Caroline never missed school.

Outside the building they said goodbye to Matt who couldn't go with them because he had to work. Then they walked over to the parking lot where a certain someone was already waiting for at least one of them.

"Hi," Elena greeted him and they kissed.

After that Damon's gaze turned to Bonnie. "Witch," he said, nodding.

Bonnie returned the gesture. "Damon."

"You're actually a decent witch," he acknowledged. "And you know how to kick ass."

Bonnie beamed at the compliment. "Thank you. You didn't do badly yourself, either."

Now Elena spoke to Damon. "We were going to check on Caroline. She wasn't at school today."

"No, she couldn't. I know where she is. Katherine left a farewell gift." He sighed. "Get in the car. I'll explain everything to you," he added, holding the passenger side's door open for her. "Meet us at the manor," he told Bonnie who nodded and got into her own car.

* * *

"This is a bad joke, right?"

Damon had filled Elena and Bonnie in on what they were going to find at the manor – or rather who.

"Don't get too close to her," he warned them. "She's… on edge." He opened the front door and gestured to them to enter. "They're in the parlor."

They walked through the foyer into the parlor and found Stefan there, together with AWOL Caroline. The blond looked jittery. She was holding a glass filled with a liquor that looked a lot like blood.

"I can't believe it!" Bonnie exclaimed shocked.

Damon who had followed them, now entered the parlor, too. He sniffed and grimaced.

"Ugh, what is this, Stefan? I told you it's not gonna work. You should know best."

"I thought we could give it a try." The younger Salvatore shrugged.

"Yeah like with Vicky?" Damon reminded him sternly. Stefan averted his gaze. "She needs the real stuff in order to control her urges and she needs it regularly."

Suddenly Caroline seemed to have snapped out of her trance and took in the presence of her two friends. Her gaze met Elena's and she jumped, dropping the glass of blood.

"You! Get away from me!" she shouted panicky.

Stefan put a firm hold on her shoulders. "Calm down! Remember what I told you before? It's not Katherine. It's Elena. If you listen carefully you can hear her heart–"

"Stefan, no!" Damon exclaimed.

But it was too late. The very same moment Caroline's vampire senses had focused on Elena. She could hear the beat of her pumping heart and see the artery in her neck. Within seconds Caroline turned from a harmless high school girl to an unpredictable predator.

Unable for human eyes to follow Caroline sped over to Elena s the bloodlust took over. Damon quickly rushed between them and stopped the blonde who was baring her fangs at Elena.

"Hey! Hey, cut it out, blondie!" Damon ordered her angrily. "I told you it's not gonna work," he then added to his brother while they shoved Caroline back on the couch together and waited for her to calm down. Elena and Bonnie watched in horror, clutching their hearts.

"I'll be right back," Damon said. In the blink of an eye he sped out of the room and returned with a blood bag and a straw.

"Drink!" he ordered Caroline and handed her both.

"Will somebody please explain what happened?" Elena urged, still shaking from the sudden attack.

""I found her in the woods when I was hunting last night," Stefan explained. "She was hiding in the tomb."

"That's probably how she survived daylight," Damon assumed.

"As you can see she's completely out of it," Stefan went on. "She told me Elena had tried to kill her and that she had killed a couple of trampers in bloodlust."

"Oh my God," Elena mouthed.

Damon walked over to her and took her into his arms.

"Damon wanted to kill her but I wanted to check in with you first."

"No! There's no way she's gonna die!" Elena refused and shoved Damon away.

"Elena, she can't control herself," Damon reasoned.

"Don't I have a say in this, too?" Caroline chimed in now.

"No, blondie, actually you don't–" Damon started but Elena cut him off.

"Yes, of course you do. I know you want to live and you will." She slowly walked over to Caroline.

"Elena, don't," Stefan warned her.

"It's okay," she replied. "You don't want to hurt me, Caroline, right?"

"No," Caroline confirmed solemnly.

Elena walked closer and slowly took a seat next to her friend whose breathing started to hitch.

"Elena, get away from her now!" Damon instructed.

"No."

Stefan knelt in front of Caroline and grabbed her shoulders tightly again.

"Remember what I told you. When you feel the bloodlust taking control you take shallow breaths and tell yourself you're stronger than it."

"I can't," Caroline said, starting to sob.

"Yes, you can. Try it, Caroline!"

Caroline closed her eyes and did as Stefan told her. She tried to block out the scent of Elena's blood and her thumping pulse. After a few minutes she leant over, carefully put her arms around Elena and repeated the procedure until she was in control of her urges. Then she pulled Elena closer and sobbed into her chest. Elena hugged her back and patted her back soothingly. While doing this she looked at Damon and said "She can do it."

He shrugged. "We'll see."

"I can take care of her for a while. Teach her how to control herself," Stefan offered.

"That would be great," Elena agreed and turned to her other friend. "What do you say, Bonnie?"

Bonnie was still paralyzed by fear, staring at her friend. "I – I still can't believe this is really happening."

"Yeah, well, if she lives she gonna need something to protect her from the sunlight," Damon told her. "Cast a spell on a ring a something."

"I don't think I can," Bonnie replied sadly.

"Of course you can," Damon corrected. "I'm sure the spell's in the Grimoire."

"No – I mean, well yes, probably, but I can't," she insisted.

"Why not?" Elena asked.

Bonnie averted her gaze from Caroline and turned to Elena.

"She's a vampire," she stated almost pleadingly.

"So what?" Damon said sharply. "So are Stefan and I. And you still help us out, occasionally."

"That's different. You're not close to me–" Bonnie began.

"Exactly–" Damon started to cut her off but Caroline was louder.

"Bonnie, I'm your friend!" she reminded her reproachfully.

"I'm sorry."

"Bonnie!" Elena urged her. "Had you rather she died?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what's your problem?"

"Bonnie," Stefan turned to her. "Nothing's really changed. Only she will notice the difference. But she can learn to control her urges. I'll teach her. No one will get hurt."

Bonnie pursed. Her gaze lingered on Caroline.

"Please help me, Bonnie," Caroline begged her. "No one else will get hurt, I promise. I didn't want this but I don't to die, either."

"That's the point," Stefan said. "Technically Caroline's dead but actually she never left you. She can continue her life like nothing happened."

Bonnie pursed her lips a little longer, then she let out an exhausted sigh.

"Fine. I'll look the spell up," she gave in.

A wave of relief went through the group.

"Thank you," Caroline and Elena said.

Bonnie gave them a curt nod. "I'll go now. See you later."

Without another glance the witch turned around and left.

Stefan and Elena's gazes met. Elena tensed up. This awkward silence between them made her uncomfortable. Damon could sense it.

He cleared his throat loudly. "We should get going, too."

To stress the meaning behind his words he held out his hand to Elena who took it and let him help her up.

Caroline looked at them, puzzled. "Where are you going?"

"Home," Damon and Elena answered in chorus.

They both smiled about the coincidence. Damon gave Elena's hand a squeeze that Caroline didn't miss.

"Oh my God, are you two together now? Jeez, it's only been a few days and I've missed so much."

"Yeah, well, we'll catch up later, Care. I'm really tired," Elena emphasized.

She wanted to escape Stefan's penetrating gaze.

"Okay," Caroline said a little disappointed. "See ya."

"Bye, Care." Elena hesitated before adding a quiet. "Bye, Stefan." and hurrying out of the manor, dragging Damon along.

* * *

"Wow that was awkward at the end," Damon remarked when they were back at Elena's.

"Yeah, thanks for pointing it out," Elena retorted, brushing her hair in front of the mirror.

Damon frowned. "You mad at me or something?"

Elena exhaled deeply. "No." She put the brush on the drawer and faced him. "Rather at myself for letting Stefan get to me."

Damon predicted "He won't just drop it and give you up."

"Yeah, he's stubborn like that."

"Or like you?"

"Like me?"

"Back at the manor you were stubbornly protecting Caroline."

"Of course I was. Caroline's my friend and in contrast to Bonnie it doesn't matter to me what she is. I've been around vampires for a long time. I got used to them."

"Rather grew attached to them," Damon corrected grinning and caused Elena to chuckle.

She walked over to him who was sitting on her bed, took a seat on his lap and put her arms around his neck. "You might be right about that," she said and kissed him longingly.

But when she pulled away she frowned. "Why did you want to kill Caroline?"

"She's new to this and honestly I don't think she'll manage to control herself," he answered truthfully.

"So killing her was the easy choice."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Hmm," she said, got up and faced him with a stern look and her arms crossed. "And choosing to be with me instead of forever mourning over Katherine, was that the easy choice, too?" she prompted.

"What? Where's this coming from?"

"Just some unresolved issues," she mumbled under her breath, biting her lower lip nervously.

"What unresolved issues? Talk to me, Elena!" he demanded.

"It's just something I've been thinking about," she began. "What am I to you, Damon? Or rather who am I to you? Cause I won't be your rebound girl for Katherine," she clarified.

"You're not. You're not Katherine," Damon said calmly.

"Yeah? Then tell me. How am I not Katherine? I'm her doppelganger," she reminded him.

Damon sighed and nodded knowingly. "Stefan never told you these things, did he?"

"Told me what?"

"The things you need to here," he answered. "Look, you may look a little like Katherine." She gave him a look. "Okay, you look a hell lot like her but you're not her," he emphasized. "And I'm glad you're not. Come here," he suddenly said and waved her over. She hesitantly sat back on his lap. He encircled her with his arms and held her gaze. "You're totally different from Katherine. You wanna know how? Yeah?" She nodded. "You, Elena, are the kindest person I've ever come across. You really let Mother Teresa look small." Elena chuckled at that. "Really. You befriend monsters like me. You always see the good in someone and manage to bring it to the surface. You forgive people even if they did the unforgivable. And you are incredibly brave for your age, I might add. Remember when we went hunting vampires together? Or the little Katherine stunt you pulled? Not every girl would do that but you did. Because you don't care about yourself as much as about anyone else. Other people always come first. You're everything Katherine was not. And Katherine was everything you are not. Selfish, manipulative, indifferent… And you look different, too," he continued, letting his index finger trace the cheek and her jaw line to her delicate neck. "You style your hair differently. You don't wear much makeup and…" His finger came to a halt at a certain point on her neck. "You this little mole right here. This is something I have never seen on Katherine or Isobel for that matter but on Jeremy. So I guess it derivates from your Gilbert line of family." He placed his lips on the spot on her skin and kissed it softly. The gently touch caused Elena to sigh. He lifted his gaze to meet hers again. "I know you hate John's guts but now you might be the time to start appreciating your Gilbert heritage," he suggested. Elena gave him a wide smile. "And just so you know," he concluded. "Choosing you was the hard choice because I know my brother is quite devastated about losing you but I think it was the right choice. I don't regret it for a second."

"Me neither," she told him. "Thank you, Damon. I really needed to hear this."

"Anytime, sunshine."

The smile on her lips grew wider, bewildering Damon. "What? No shove against the shoulder? I thought you hate this pet name?"

"It actually sounds nice when you say it," she admitted to him sheepishly.

"Oh, really? In that case you'll be hearing it a lot more often, my beaming beauty," he said and skillfully caught her hand before she could execute the move he had anticipated all along. "Oh, I take that back. Still a little touchy on that, aren't we?" He grinned.

"There's no need to overly emphasize it," she muttered.

"Point taken. Can we do something less broody now?" he asked.

"Like…?"

"Like this," he said and started tickling her everywhere.

Elena squealed as she tried to stop him. Then she shoved him with his back on the bed. She was hovering above him now, grinning superiorly down at him.

Damon smirked. "I like where this is going."

"Sorry, that's all you'll get for now," she replied and got off of her frustrated boyfriend.

"Elena, that's not fair," he whined.

"Sorry, but I've got homework to do," she told him shrugging.

Damon stared at her in disbelief for a moment then groaned in frustration and lay back down.

"You're such a tease…"

* * *

_I couldn't help myself. Ever since Carolien became a vampire on the show she's been one my favorite characters. She's so cool!_

_Before you think I've turned Damon to a softy, I just needed a reason for him to go the manor and then I got the hot water idea. I actually believe Damon rather prefers a cold shower ;)_

_How'd you Damon's little speech? I thought solving this unresolved issue was an important step in their journey which they took successfully. By the way, Caroline won't go on another rampage or something so Damon and Elena and you, too, can look forward to happy times. Stefan however could become a problem..._

_Speaking of Stefan, I'm not gonna make him and Caroline couple. I'm not a big fan of AU couples, except for Delena._

_Well, now, I'm gonna wish you a Happy New Year. May all your wishes come true next year! :)_

_So long ~_


	63. Plotting

_So much time has passed again since the last time I updated this fanfiction. I'm so desperately trying to keep it alive. And I don't think i won't be able to upload more than one chap per month. I hope that's okay with you guys ._. I just wish school was over already. _

_In addition to my time problem I've been having a writer's block. I'll tell you beforehand that I'm not satisfied with this chapter. Just consider it a filler. I'll try to make the next chapter more interesting, promise!_

_Hope you'll enjoy this anyway. _

**

* * *

Chapter 63:** **Plotting **

The next morning Elena met Bonnie in the school hallway by the lockers.

"Good morning."

"Morning," Bonnie replied while she collected her books. "I made a ring for Caroline last night. She'll be able to walk in the sun now. She's gonna stay with Stefan until she knows how to control her instincts."

"Thank you, Bon. I know it wasn't an easy thing for you to do," Elena said.

"No, it wasn't. And I still don't trust her. The terms haven't changed."

"What terms?" Elena asked confused.

"After I helped Stefan save Damon I told him I'd take Damon out the second he spills innocent blood," Bonnie told her. "Same goes for Caroline now."

"But, Bonnie, she's our friend! You're not really going to kill, are you?"

"If necessary, I will," the witch answered when the bell rang. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

She walked ahead, leaving Elena by the lockers. Elena stared after her, shocked by her attitude.

* * *

When school was over Elena was picked up by Damon like the day before.

"Hi, how was school?" he asked her, grinning.

"Hmm," she mused aloud. "Boring?"

"That's my girl."

They kissed until Elena pulled away with a frown on her forehead.

"I'm worrying about Bonnie," she told him.

"Why?"

"She said she'd take Caroline out if she couldn't control herself."

"Let's hope she's patient because recently-turned vampires tend cause a lot of trouble. Even though Caroline already did that and feels regret there will always be times when she'll be on the edge of control."

"Way to encourage me, Damon."

"Sorry. I'm only telling the truth. But I'm sure Stefan will take good care of her. And I keep an eye on her, too, if you want me to," he offered.

"I'd like that," she agreed smiling.

"Okay then. Let's go."

They got into the car and Damon started the engine but didn't pull out of the parking lot yet.

"What's stopping you?" Elena asked.

"There's something I need you to do for me," he explained.

"And that is…?"

"Talk to Liz. You ruined our friendship. Now you have to fix it again," he answered.

"No problem."

"We're meeting Stefan and Barbie there," he informed as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. "Barbie wants to at least try to tell Liz the news. If she freaks out we can still compel her to forget. But she has to know that her daughter's alive and healthy before she reports her missing."

"She has a name, you know," Elena reminded him sourly.

"Huh?"

"Liz' daughter. She has a name and it's not Barbie. Or Blondie 'cause I know you were going to say that next," she added quickly.

He grinned. "You know me all to well. So, I hope that Caroline is able to handle it because I'm not in the mood to compel Liz."

"She'll be devastated."

"Definitely," Damon agreed.

* * *

When they arrived at the station house Stefan and Caroline were already waiting for them. Caroline was beaming much to their surprise.

"I can finally be in the sun again," she told them happily and showed her new jewelry, a golden ring, to them. "It was grandma's," she added grinning. "All Gone With The Wind-like."

"Well, let's get it over with," Damon said, took Elena's hand and led them inside.

Caroline and Stefan would wait outside Liz' office until Damon would give them their cue to come in. Damon knocked at the door and waited for an invitation. Then him and Elena entered.

The sheriff had been staring at some papers on her desk but when they came in she looked up. Catching sight of Damon her eyes narrowed.

"You."

"Me," Damon confirmed, smirking.

"Good afternoon, sheriff," Elena greeted her politely. "Do you have a minute for us?"

"Sure," Forbes agreed and her features softened a little. "Have a seat, please."

"Thanks."

Damon closed the door and him and Elena sat down opposite the sheriff.

"What can I do for you?"

"We're here to repair Damon's reputation so-to-speak. I am," Elena corrected herself.

Liz frowned. "I remember you telling me he can't be trusted the last time you were here. So I take it you're going to tell me that he is trustworthy again?"

"Exactly," Damon and Elena answered in chorus.

They shared a grin before Elena began to elaborate.

"Yes, Damon regained everyone's trust last Friday when he killed Katherine," she told her.

Damon shot her a glance at the lie but managed to hide his surprise well.

"He did? What happened?" Forbes demanded.

"Katherine kidnapped me and Damon saved me," Elena shared the abridged version with her. "And the only way to do that was to drive a stake through her heart."

"The bitch deserved nothing else," Damon added darkly.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Liz questioned him.

"I realized who I really care about," Damon replied, took Elena's hand and squeezed it gently.

She gave him a small smile.

"So the two of you are together now?"

"Yup," Elena confirmed and they both had a goofy grin on their face.

"How do I know that you didn't compel her?" Liz asked Damon suspiciously.

"I'm wearing vervain," Elena told her before Damon could even open his mouth, and pointed at the necklace she was wearing. It was Damon's. She had been wearing it since Friday night after getting rid of Katherine's, and bathed it in liquid vervain. However, she never opened the locket, remembering that Damon had once told her not to do so in order to _keep the charm intact. _ Every now and then she got curious and tried to figure out what kind of charm he could have placed on it…

The sheriff sighed and a small smile grazed her lips. "Well, I'm happy you came to reason, Damon. I'm glad to have you back."

"I'm at your service, Liz," he said, smirking.

"Good because I've got some really disturbing news."

"Um, so do we," Elena informed her nervously.

"What is it?"

"Now." That was the cue for Stefan and Caroline.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and the two vampires came inside. At the sight of her daughter Liz' features relaxed in relief.

"Sweetheart, where have you been? I've been so worried about you!"

She got up to throw her arms around her and Caroline approached her, too, momentarily forgetting that she shouldn't get too close to humans at the moment. Fortunately, Damon had not and quickly sped between them, stretching out his arm to Caroline to keep her away.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Caroline," he warned her.

"Damon, what's the meaning of this?" Liz demanded.

"Um, Mom, something happened…" Caroline began timidly.

Stefan advised the sheriff to take a seat which she did after they told her what had happened. She was pale.

"How's this possible?" she asked weakly.

"Katherine was bored," Damon muttered. "And when a vampire gets bored it never turns out well. She probably thought your daughter could be her new bff and assist her by causing some additional havoc.

"So…" Forbes turned to her daughter with tears in her eyes. "So you're dead?"

"Technically, yes," the new vampire affirmed. "But, mom, please don't cry. I'm still here!" she added dismayed when her mother burst into tears. "Can I hug her, please? Just once?"

Damon hesitated. Caroline wasn't stable yet. Andy close contact to humans could turn out ugly. But she had been able to control herself with Elena before. One had to take that into consideration. However in the end it was Liz who decided about that.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine," she contradicted, wiping her eyes with a tissue.

Caroline looked at her, heartbroken but she avoided it.

"I think it's time for a long due conversation," Damon emphasized. He took a seat, leant back in his chair and watched the sheriff closely. "You still haven't told us how you're feeling about us being vampires."

Liz' gaze dropped to her hands with which she was fidgeting nervously. She seemed to contemplate her words carefully before she answered.

"I'm not happy of course," she began. "All this time I've been hunting down vampires. I've seen what they can do to humans. I've been taught to be afraid of them and kill them if I have a chance to. I'm a little confused right now." Damon nodded, silently encouraging her to go on. Against John they had been allies but now Liz had to make a decision. So much was at stake. If she chose to be their enemy and hunt them she would not only end their alliance but also abandon her daughter.

"I have a question, Damon," she said.

"Go on."

"All this time when you were working with me and for the council, was it all just an act to gain my trust?"

That was the big question, the elephant in the room. Damon had anticipated it all the way but never actually thought he would have to deal with it. Yet here he was, facing the truth.

"At first, yes," he admitted. "I had to anything so that you wouldn't suspect and come after us. So I joined the council, supplied the town with vervain and got rid of other vampires for you." He paused, letting her take that in. "But the motives for my actions have changed, Liz. I no longer have any secret agenda. I just want to lead a peaceful life with no trouble in my hometown. I promise my brother and I mean neither you nor any other human in this town any harm. And I would like to continue working for you and at the service of the council if you let me."

Liz pursed her lips and folded her hands, thinking about it. Everyone could see the battle that was going on inside of her. Would she hold on to general beliefs or would she make her own choice and believe him? Damon gave her a look of full understanding and sincerity. He had never betrayed her once. He had even killed his own species. And he had already made his choice. He was on her side. At least he claimed so.

And then there was Caroline. Her becoming a vampire had been Liz' worst nightmare and now it had become real. But she couldn't just abandon her daughter because of it, could she? She knew that if she was to accept Caroline as a vampire she would have accept the Salvatores, too.

Finally she told them their decision.

"I believe you," she let him know. "And… I trust you. I'll accept you for who and what you are, as vampires, but I know that you aren't anything like monsters we killed together."

A wave of relief went through the group. Damon gave Liz a grateful smile and a nod which she returned.

Now Stefan spoke. "We're going to help Caroline adjust to her new life," he announced. "Help her control her instincts so that she can be among humans again without posing a threat to them."

Thank you. I really appreciate that."

"I was thinking about keeping her out of school till Friday to make sure she is ready," he added. "She can stay at our house so long."

"It's fine with me," the sheriff agreed. She exchanged a glance with Caroline who flashed a smile into her direction. "Well, there's actually something I wanted to talk to you, too."

"Please go ahead."

"Remember when I told you about the sightings that were reported months ago?"

"Yeah."

"It's getting worse. A few people now claim it wasn't grizzlies but wolves. Large wolves, at least 10 feet in length. When I heard it I remembered you telling me that they're werewolves."

"Exactly," Damon affirmed. "Any injured or casualties even?"

"A dozen casualties, unfortunately. No one who got injured seems to survive it," Liz told them. "The victims were physically torn apart. It's a nasty sight." She paused for a moment. "Look," she continued then. "I'm worried about Mason Lockwood. We're working together in the council as you know but every time we meet up I feel like he knows that I know."

"Yeah, they're sneaky like that."

"Damon!" Stefan scolded him. "Don't pick a fight with them."

"I wasn't going to," Damon defended himself.

"You'd lose. Don't forget that the bite is fatal," his brother persisted.

"According to some legend Isobel picked up yada yada yada." Damon waved it off.

"Damon!" Now it was Elena scolding him like Stefan before.

He looked at her and their gazes locked. Her eyes were conveying a message. _Don't take any chances. _

"Jeez, relax, I was just going to have a civil conversation with him, that's all."

"There's no need to," Stefan objected. "I'll only lead to trouble and we've had enough of that already. I say we leave them alone and mind our own business."

"But all the people who are in danger because of them," Elena reminded him.

"Exactly," Damon supported her argument, glad that they were on the same page here. "Besides, we don't know what Mason's up to. I don't trust him. We're enemies by nature. It's kill or be killed. At some point we have to take them out 'cause I don't want to die yet."

"Why don't we wait till they approach the matter? If they attack us I'm all with Damon on this," Caroline declared. "I'm glad I can still be a part of this world. But if they want a peaceful life just like us we'll leave them alone."

"And the human victims?" This from Damon.

"I could talk to him," Liz suggested. "Attract his attention to the attacks as a council business."

"Didn't you say he suspects you already?"

"I'm not hundred per cent sure," she evaded.

"I think it's a good idea," Stefan said. "If he under whatever circumstances reveals his secret to you, you can ask him nicely to mind the humans during his transformations."

"Their transformation. Plural."

"We don't know that," Caroline contradicted Damon. "Maybe it's only Mason. Doesn't have to be all of them."

"That's right," Liz picked it up. "We still don't know how they trigger the curse."

"So you really think it's only Mason who triggered the curse already?"

"The attacks started with Mason's arrival after all. If the mayor was a werewolf, too, then why weren't their any attacks before?"

"Maybe he had himself more under control," Damon opined drily.

"Or maybe Liz is right," Stefan replied. "Liz, reviewing the attacks, would you say that they were committed by only one or more wolves?"

Liz thought about it. "No, I think it was only one."

"That makes the rest of the Lockwood family human," Elena concluded.

"I can watch Tyler at school and report back to you if I notice something strange about him," Caroline offered.

"If he turned he should be obviously stronger than the others," Stefan told her.

"I can watch him during football practice. And if he throws the ball harder than usual we'll know."

"I think the plan sucks," Damon complained.

"Too bad, Damon, 'cause we're doing this," Elena declared firmly. "We won't take easy way out this time."

Damon shot her an irritated glance but she was unperturbed.

"Okay. Let's do it this way," Stefan agreed, closing the discussion. 


	64. This Is War Part II

_Okay, I'll have to admit. This isn't much. Just me desperately trying to continue this story. Screw school! Really I'm so fed up with it! I need a long vacation! No more learning, no more stress. _

_I noticed that the number of reviews per chapter has declined sharply and I know it's my fault. I really want this to work. I want to continue Every End Has A Start as it is my favorite of all stories I've ever written! But I could use your help. Any advice you've got! Whatever you think I could do better drop me line about it, please!  
_

_Well anyway, this chapter is introducing the upcoming werewolf-vampire conflict that I plan to include. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 64****: This Is War Part II**

_A warning to the people, the good and the evil_

_This is war_

_To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim_

_This is war

* * *

_

Things were awkward when they drove home… very awkward. Damon and Elena didn't exchange a single word after they left Liz' office. He ignored her, his brother and Caroline, said goodbye to Liz and then strode out of the building. Elena quickly gave her friends a nod and hurried after him.

Damon was already waiting for her in his car with the engine on. After she got in he pulled out of the parking lot rather roughly. Silence hung in the air all the ride to Elena's. Then when they had reached their destination it was the first time that Damon spoke for half an hour.

"I'm going for a ride," he told her when her hand found the door handle to get out.

"No," she objected, knowing this tactic very well. She met his irritated gaze with a determined gaze of her own.

"What's wrong? Out with it! Are you mad at me?"

Damon took his time before he answered, sensing that this would turn into a nasty conversation for both of them.

"Not at you in particular," he finally spoke.

"And why?"

"Because the three of you made me look like a fool in front of Liz!" he exploded and startled her.

"You're made because overruled you in the decision," she realized. "Damon, don't you want peace for one?"

"Of course I want peace!" he shot back. "But we won't have that with those wolves running around town!"

"We don't know that! You have never spoken a word to Mason! Maybe he doesn't even know that there are vampires in town."

"Bullshit! He probably sniffed us out the moment he set a foot here!"

"Why do you always have to see everything so negatively?"

"I'm just as blind as you are!"

"Fine," Elena said. "Go and start your mini-war on your own. But don't expect me to mourn you when you lose!"

With that she got out of the car, slammed the door shut and strode to the front door. She unlocked it and entered without a single glance back.

Damon slightly winced when she slammed the doors. Great, fighting with Elena was the last thing he wanted… He realized that this was their first fight since they got together. 4 days. He huffed. They couldn't even last a week without fighting.

Now he really wanted to go for a ride. But he couldn't think of any destination to his liking so he directed his Mustang to the Grill. He soooo needed a drink right now.

* * *

He entered Mystic Falls most visited place, took a seat at the bar and ordered his favorite: bourbon.

"Hiya, stranger," a familiar voice greeted him.

Damon turned his head to the side to see Mason Lockwood setting at the other end of the bar.

What a coincidence…

"Hey." Damon gave him a short nod and helped himself with his drink. The burning in his throat was a welcome feeling. Out of the corner of the eye he saw Mason get up from his stool and join him.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Good. You?"

"Can't complain." Mason replied smiling.

Damon studied him closely. It was almost like he could see the wheels turning in his head. What was he up to…?

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about something," Mason continued. He lowered his voice. "It's council-related."

Here we go, Damon thought.

"I'm listening."

"It's gotten rather quiet ever since Friday, don't you think?"

Damon's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why Friday in particular?"

"The last vampire attack happened Thursday night and ever since then – nothing. So I figured something must have happened to the bloodsucker on Friday or still on Thursday night."

"Maybe it's got too risky for them to stay here. Maybe they moved on," Damon suggested, throwing back another drink.

"I don't think so," Mason shook his head. "It feels like they're getting here. Closer than one might think."

Okay, enough with the innuendo, Damon thought. You know it, you bastard, so why don't you just tell it to my face?

Damon put his glass down and took out his purse.

"Oh, leaving so soon?" Mason said.

"Yeah. My girlfriend's probably already worried about me." He put the money down on the counter. Then he leaned closer to Mason and added in a low voice. "You know, she swears she hears wolf howling at full moon nights. There's no such thing as werewolves though. But who knows… they might be closer than one might think. Have a good one, Mason," Damon now said and left. Walking up to his car he counted in his head. One… two…

The whoosh of the wind told him that something just jumped over him. A figure appeared in front of him.

Mason.

"So I was right," he said.

"So was I," Damon agreed. "Who else knows?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"It's just me."

"I just don't believe you. Surely, you told your nephew."

"Tyler doesn't know anything yet." Mason contradicted.

"Right, and you really want me to believe that you didn't secretly train him?"

"No, I didn't. Look, man, I don't want any trouble–"

"Hypocrite. Ever since you came to this town you've been scaring and hunting humans on full moons. Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

"These were accidents. I don't usually have myself under control. Speaking of hypocrites. Working for a vampire-council like duh."

"We all choose our side," Damon said. "When you joined the council you chose to be our enemy. Why did you really come to Mystic Falls?"

"I wanted to be here for Tyler after his father died," Mason answered.

"I don't think so. Stay away from us or I'll rip your throat out, "Damon threatened. "I know you're not stronger than me when there's no full moon."

"Same goes for you," Mason replied firmly and left.

Sighing, Damon got into his car. Elena would kill him for picking a fight with Mason. Well if she ever heard about it…

The phone in his pocket vibrated. He took it out to see that he had received a text message – from Elena.

_Talk, please?_

A small smile grazed his lips and started the car.

* * *

Elena was nervously pacing across her room. What had she been thinking? That a relationship with Damon would be easy? She should have known better. Now they were having their first real fight already. But it wasn't worse than the ones they used to have. Looking back, she recalled that they had always been fighting and pecking on each other more or less during their on-and-off friendship. And it had always been about fundamental things.

Unlike the other however she started to feel bad for shouting at Damon only minutes after he had left. That was new. God, they were adults, weren't they? They should be able to talk about this – civilized.

So she slumped on her bed and texted him rather sheepishly – _Talk, please – _hoping that if he didn't want to he would at least answer.

But he did more than that. Ten minutes later he was in the room with her. Relief went through her and she got up to throw herself into his arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, knowing he could still hear her.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," she contradicted and drew back. "I want us to talk about this like grown-ups."

Damon nodded and let her lead him to the bed where they sat down. Elena folded her hands in her lap, looked at him and opened her mouth but stopped her.

"Before you say anything, I've got a confession to make."

She studied him suspiciously. "Damon, what did you do?"

"I met Mason a few minutes ago."

"Oh no. Damon!"

"I didn't do anything to him," Damon defended himself, raising his hands in surrender. "We just talked."

"And?"

"Threatened each other." Elena groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Look, I had to stand my ground. He told me that he knows about us and he was suspicious why there hadn't been any animal attacks since Friday night."

Elena frowned. "Why Friday night in particular?"

"See? That's what I thought to. He tried to talk himself out of it but in the end he lost his temper and I saw his strength," Damon told her.

"What did he do?"

"Leaped over me like a kangaroo."

"Damon."

"I'm serious. Seems that even in human form werewolves have some supernatural abilities."

"That's not good."

"Exactly."

"So you threatened him?"

"I told him to stay away from us and the humans," he answered.

"So it was really him who killed these people."

Damon snorted. "Said he wasn't in control. If he can't control himself he shouldn't stay close to humans during full moon times. We have to take him out."

"No!"

"Elena, be reasonable!"

"I am reasonable," she shot back. "We could ask him nicely to leave," she suggested.

"He already said he's not gonna leave. Wants to be here for his nephew," Damon replied.

"Fine. Then how about Liz declares the woods as restricted area during full moon weeks? The humans won't go there anymore and they'll be safe."

"But –"

"I'm not done, yet," she cut him off. "And if he ever makes a move on us then you'll have my permission to do something about him," she concluded.

He huffed. "Like I need your permission…"

"Please, Damon."

Her chocolate eyes bored into his, pleading with him and he gave in.

"Fine," he agreed grumpily. "But if he does I won't hesitate."

"Okay," she said and gave him a smile.

They leaned back on the bed and snuggled up to each other. Elena buried her face in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.

"You're not a good influence on me. You'll turn me into an Edward Cullen."

"God no," she laughed. "Before that will happen I'll send you off on a killing spree."

"Now we're talking."

Elena chuckled.

* * *

_To give you a little outlook Damon and Elena won't have anything to argue about anything soon because Elena will soon share Damon's opinion on Mason._

_Speaking of Delena, I've been re-reading my fanfiction and I am missing the magic the two had in this story like you have mentioned, too. I'll try to include this magic again so that EEHAS really deserves to be on your favorites list!_

_I'm already writing the next chapter so I hope it won't take me to long to update._

_So long!_


	65. This Is War Part III

_Hi, it's me again!_

_Thank you for your reviews to the last chapter! I was so happy I got some at all! Thanks a lot! _

_ I figured it might be better to upload smaller chapters from now on. This way the story will continue faster :) Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 65: This Is War Part III**

"This is so messed up!" Caroline whined. "I'd've never thought I'd hurt Matt someday!"

"How did this happen anyway?" Elena asked as they walked.

"I don't know! One second we were kissing and the next all I could think about was his freakin' blood!"

"You didn't actually… bite him, did you?" Elena asked appalled.

"Yes, actually I did…"

"Caroline!

"I know! But I couldn't do anything about it. It's different with the people you love. Their blood is much more attractive to you and more potent," the blonde explained. "Stefan never told you that?"

"No, he didn't," Elena answered slowly. "But we never shared blood anyway."

"Maybe you should talk to Damon about it then."

"Yeah… So how did you get out of this mess?"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_Caroline was sucking hard, ignoring Matt's faint whimpers. She was too lost in the sensation of his blood…_

_Suddenly the door of the broom chamber burst open and two hands pulled her roughly away from her victim._

_"Go!" he ordered._

_Gradually Caroline was coming to her senses and realized appalled what she had done._

_"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she sobbed._

_"It's okay. Go! I'll take care of this!" Stefan urged her._

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"He compelled Matt to forget about the incident. He doesn't remember but I have to live with it," Caroline concluded.

"You were lucky Stefan was around," Elena said.

"Yeah. Don't want to think about what would've happened if he hadn't been around."

"So… what's up with you two? I've noticed you hanging out at school often," Elena observed.

"He's been there for me. He knows how I feel and it's great to talk to someone about it who knows what it's like," Caroline explained. "What about you and Stefan? Where are you guys now?"

"I don't know. At least he's not ignoring me. I'd like us to be friends but I know it'll make Damon uncomfortable. But he never mentions it though. I think he doesn't want us to fight again. We actually haven't fought for two weeks which is incredible."

"You make it sound like you used to fight on daily basis," Caroline said.

"Not that much but we used to fight a lot," Elena replied. "I guess it was just part of our relationship back then. Now we're much more open with each other. No secrets, no suppressed emotions hence no reason to fight."

"What happened to Damon going all soft? Oh, I know. You happened," Caroline joked. "But I'm happy for you. Come here."

They hugged briefly and then resumed walking – out of town.

"Um, Caroline, where are we going?" Elena wanted to know, already having a hunch.

"Into the woods," the blonde vampire answered calmly. "It's a great place to get a clear head."

Elena stopped dead. "Caroline, we can't go into the woods."

"Why not?"

"You're mom declared it restricted area. Don't you know what tonight is?" She didn't leave Caroline any chance to answer. "There's going to be a full moon tonight. What about Mason?"

"If the guy is smart he won't go there when he turns anymore," Caroline shot back and pulled her with her. "Oh, come on, I'll protect you from the big bad wolf."

"It's not funny, Caroline," Elena hissed but kept walking anyway. "Seriously I think your turning into a vampire affected your judgment."

"I really don't think he'll come there," Caroline said calmly. "And if he does I'll owe you."

"If we're still alive that is…"

They kept on walking into the woods, deeper and deeper until Elena suddenly stopped.

"What?" Caroline asked.

"This is the place Stefan once showed me. It's where the town used to be. There's still some ruins here," Elena told her.

"The old Lockwood estate used to be here, too," Caroline recalled.

"Yeah."

Suddenly a distant howl echoing through the woods let them flinch.

"Did you hear that?"

Another howl was heard, closer this time. The girls screamed.

"I'll never trust your instincts again!" Elena shouted at Caroline. "I want to go home!"

"Okay, take my hand. And run as fast as you can!" Caroline ordered, snatching Elena's hand.

They started running, both with human speed. Panicked they passed several trees and headed for the street – until suddenly Caroline lost hold of Elena.

"Elena!"

The brunette was pressed flat on her back onto the ground with big paws on her torso, holding her in place. She stared at the growling beast in front of her, especially its razor shard teeth and screamed.

"Elena!"

After recovering from the prior shock Caroline advanced on the beast and tugged at it, trying to pull it off her best friend. The werewolf only growled at her but always turned its attention back to Elena who was screaming and struggling under its weight. At some point however the beast got irritated, left Elena alone and jumped at the blonde who was now lying flat on her back like Elena before. Terrified Caroline screamed and struggled.

"Hold still! Don't let his teeth graze you!" Elena shouted.

Caroline stopped her attempts to shook the werewolf off and went still under it, whimpering.

"Hey!" A male voice echoed through the woods. "Let her go!"

Elena spun around to see Tyler running toward them. Fearless he advanced on the werewolf and attracted his attention.

"I said let her go!" he repeated forcefully.

The beast looked at him, then back at Caroline. It hesitated for a moment, then it turned its gaze to the right and growled. Elena followed its gaze but couldn't see anything but woods. And then the beast got off of Caroline and ran away.

Caroline and Elena stared at Tyler.

"I'm sorry," he apologized before going after Mason.

Elena ran over to Caroline to help her up.

"Thanks," the vampire girl said, still shaken up.

"Are you out of your mind?" an angry voice snapped. It belonged to a figure which just emerged from the shadows. "He could have killed you!"

"Damon!" Relieved to see him Elena walked over to him into his arms. But then she slightly pulled out of his embrace. "What are you doing here? Were you following us?"

"Yeah, I was. I didn't trust Barbie." He turned to Caroline. "She's right. Vampirism did affect your judgment."

"Sorry," the blonde apologized. "It was a stupid idea to come here."

"You don't say. Anyway, Mason's dead."

"Damon –" Elena began.

"No, Elena," he contradicted. "I saw everything. He would've killed you if Blondie hadn't distracted him so heroically. And I saved both your asses when I directed his attention to me."

"So that's why he was staring into space. He knew you were there behind the tree."

"Yeah. He tried to kill you, Elena. I can't ignore that. I won't," Damon declared.

And Elena didn't refuse.

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie  
The moment to live and the moment to die  
The moment to fight, the moment to fight_

* * *

_I decided to follow the werewolf vs. vampires storyline from the TV show. Mostly because I want Forwood to happen in this story!^^ Oops, spoiler^^° Well now you have at least something to look forward to :)_


	66. By Your Side

_I'm back! For now at least. But things are looking up. Next month I will take my A-Level exams and from May on out I'll be free to do whatever the hell I want which means catching up on this fanfiction! _

_Thank you for all your support although it takes so long to update these days! If it wasn't for you this fanfiction would have never reached 66 chapters! You made that happen so thank you! =)_

_This chapter isn't much. It's basically Forwood introduction with plot from the show some changes but the plot was perfect so I wanted it to go down this way in this fanfiction, too. The next chapter will be completely original I promise! :) It's a promise I'm going to keep because I'm already writing the next chapter! You may look forward to some Damon-Tyler banter ;) _

_Until then much fun with this chapter! =)_

* * *

**Ch****apter 66: By Your Side **

_And I'll be by your side_

_Wherever you fall_

_In the dead of night_

_Whenever you call_

_And please don't fight_

_These hands that are holding you_

_My hands are holding you_

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_things spun out of control rather quickly._

_I know we decided to take it slow with Mason and wouldn't attack him._

_Well, that's what we planned. But things went crazy! And now everything's a mess! I'm fine but Caroline is bad. I never saw her so sad like she is now. And I'm partly to blame because I didn't stop Damon. But try to stop a vengeful vampire who wants to protect his girlfriend. It's impossible. _

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_They met by the lockers which were sorted alphabetically. So F and L weren't very far apart and right now no one was standing in their line of sight. Caroline caught sight of him when she closed her locker door. Their gazes met for a brief time then Tyler focused on getting his books out of the locker. _

_Caroline took a deep breath. Damon had told her to stay away from Tyler but she couldn't. She had to talk to him about what had happened the night before. So she walked over to him._

"_Hey," she greeted him friendly._

"_Hey. Look, I'm running late…" he lied._

"_No, you're not."_

"_Huh?"_

"_You're not running late," Caroline repeated. "Our first period is Math and the only one who's running late is Mrs. Cole and she's always running late."_

_Defeated Tyler pursed his lips. _

"_I want to talk about yesterday night."_

"_There's nothing to talk about," Tyler played it down. "You didn't see anything. Period."_

"_What?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Well, hello, yeah I did. I was nearly killed by a werewolf–"_

"_Shht!" Tyler hissed, frantically looking around if anyone heard. "Be quiet!"_

"_No one would believe it anyway," Caroline replied carelessly. "But I'm not stupid. I know what I saw. And so does Elena. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. For saving me."_

"_You're welcome," Tyler said, giving her an uneasy smile. "Pretty crazy, huh?"_

"_What? The part that werewolves really do exist or the part where your uncle is one?"_

_Tyler's jaw dropped. "How do you–"_

"_You know, I have a little secret of my own," she explained winking._

"_Really? You want to share it with me?" He took the invitation to her flirt. _

"_Maybe later," she said, looking at her watch. "We gotta hurry or we will be running later than Mrs. Cole," she added._

_Chuckling they hurried to the classroom. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

**Two ****weeks later…**

Caroline walked out of the school building. Her eyes caught Tyler playing basketball with some boys.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_We'll need the element of surprise. Don't try anything, Blondie," Damon told her sharply. "Stay away from him.__ And don't ever let him know what we are. We can't have him suspect anything."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Her staring didn't go unnoticed by Tyler who glared at her. She sighed, averted her gaze and walked over to her car.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_You're what?" he exclaimed._

_Caroline slapped her hand on his mouth. "Keep it down, will you?" she hissed and slowly removed her hand.._

_They were sitting on a bench at school, spending their free period together. Caroline had just told Tyler what she was._

"_How can you be a vampire?" he asked shocked._

"_How can you be a werewolf?" she shot back smirking._

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Hey, you okay?" she asked him and put a hand on his shoulder._

_He flinched and shook her hand off. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered irritated. _

_But then his expression changed. "No, I'm not," he corrected himself and his voice broke. _

_His expression was pained as he tried to keep his emotions under control but he was powerless to do so. _

"_Tyler," Caroline sighed and pulled him into an embrace. She stroked his back soothingly. "What's wrong?"_

"_I triggered the curse last night."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

_He pulled out of the embrace and met her gaze. "The curse that makes me werewolf. I killed someone last night. It was an accident. That guy… he really pissed me off. We got into a fight and I was angry and – and I didn't stop punching him. I killed him, Caroline! And this is how you trigger the curse. My uncle Mason told me that. I'm so scared. I don't want to be like this."_

"_Oh, Tyler." She pulled him back into her arms. "You're gonna be okay. You're not alone."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

On the way to her car Caroline caught sight of Matt who looked at her resentfully. Caroline hung her head.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Caroline, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Elena asked dismayed when her best friend showed up on her doorstep Friday night._

"_It's Matt," the blonde sobbed. "I told him what I am. He didn't take it very well. I had to compel him to forget." _

_She started to have a heavy crying fit and Elena pulled her into her arms and started to comfort her._

"_You really can't listen to the simplest instructions, can you?" Damon snapped. "What do you think 'Don't tell anyone what you are' means, huh? And next you tell us the wolf knows, too." Caroline was silent. "I can't believe it!" Damon shouted. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

With another sigh Caroline started the engine of her car and pulled out of the parking lot. On the way home she passed the Lockwood estate as another memory came over her.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Tyler! Please let's talk about it!"_

"_Leave me the hell alone!"_

"_Tyler, please! Caroline begged._

"_I trusted you!" he shouted at her. "This whole, strange bonding thing, was it just a way to get close to my uncle?"_

"_No! It was real! I want to be your friend, Tyler! I want to be there for you!"_

"_But your vampire friends killed him anyway! He was my uncle! I needed him! And you took him from me!" Tyler screamed. "Leave me alone or I'll kill all of you!"_

_He turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Caroline all by herself._

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Caroline had just parked her car in the driveway when her cell phone went off. A glance at the display told her that an event was coming up. _Tyler's first full moon. _Right, she had marked this in her calendar because she had been planning on supporting Tyler on what would most certainly be the worst day of his life. She had marked it before their friendship shattered.

She stared at the display a little longer.

"_Leave me alone."_

"_Stay away from him."_

"Oh, screw it," Caroline muttered, grabbed her bag and got out of the car.

* * *

It was half past nine when Caroline arrived at the old Lockwood grounds in the woods. She looked at the sky. The sun had set already and there were clouds. But Caroline wasn't fooled. Somewhere up there the full moon was waiting to make an entrance. It was only a matter of time until it would. Only a matter of time until Tyler would face his first transformation. And he wouldn't do it alone. Like she had promised him she would stay with him at this time and help him go through it.

"_The bite of a __werewolf can kill a vampire," _Damon's voice rang in her ears.

She took a deep breath and walked down the steps to the underground basement.

Tyler was already there. He was sitting on the ground, legs pulled up to his chest and arms resting on his knees. His limps were chained to the stone walls. He was staring at the wall opposite him, lost in thoughts. But when he heard Caroline come in he turned around to her.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I came here to keep my promise. I promised I'd be here for you and I am," she declared.

"Well, I'm fine. I don't need you here. You can leave again."

"Liar."

"Look, what is this?" He jumped to his feet, glaring at her. "Some feeble attempt to get my trust back? You won't! Not after what you've done! Nothing's gonna make this right, do you understand? Nothing!"

"Maybe," she said unperturbed. "But I'm still not going to leave. Even if you don't want me to stay. I will and I will make sure you'll be okay."

He scoffed. "Suit yourself then."

He sat back on the ground with his back to her.

She, too, took a seat on the ground, leant her back against the wall and sighed.

"I guess you won't believe me but I have nothing to do with Mason's death. At least not directly," she added. "I didn't want it to happen. I was hoping we could talk about the whole thing."

"Well, you didn't do anything about it either," he snapped.

"Your right, I didn't. And I'm sorry. It's all I got, Tyler. You may not believe it but I really am sorry for your loss."

Tyler let out an angry sigh and turned around to her. "Why are you here?"

"I already told you – "

"Yeah, you want to be here for me. But you never actually told me why. Why do you care? For all I know vampires and werewolves are enemies by nature. And if I'm not mistaken the bite of a werewolf is fatal to vampires. So why are you here? Why do you risk it?"

"Because…" Caroline began. "Because I've been where you are now. I was alone when I turned. I woke up here in the middle of the woods and I didn't know what had happened, how I got there and what was wrong with me. All I knew was I was so incredibly thirsty and… I couldn't control it… and I killed people. And every day I'm being reminded of it. Of the monster I can be. It stays with you forever, Tyler. The pain, the guilt. And I don't want to that to happen to you. Mason probably knew that feeling, too."

Tyler was silently listening to her speech. What she said made a lot sense to him.

"He tried to fight it, you know," he told her after a while. "He told me. But he couldn't. He was too weak. And no exercise could do anything about it. And ever since I know that I've been wondering if I will be strong enough. My father never killed someone. He never triggered the curse. I'm just… scared," he concluded and his voice broke at that point.

"Tyler…" She made an attempt to get up and walk over to him but he held out his hand to stop her.

"Don't. Stay over there."

So she did.

"You're right. When you kill somebody it stays with you forever. I still see his face… the guy I punched to death. It haunts me in my dreams. I see the blood and I see his lifeless face," he told her. "I didn't know my own strength back then. I've noticed I get angry very quickly especially on full moons night but I'd never thought – It just took control over me."

He had averted his gaze so she wouldn't be able to see his devastated expression.

"Tyler – " she began but never got to finish that sentence because in that very moment the full moon pushed all the clouds aside and shone in its full glory.

And that was the time when the madness began.

Suddenly Tyler cried out in agony and his body convulsed.

"Tyler!" Caroline screamed, not knowing what to do.

"You should leave. It's starting," he bit out.

"I'm not leaving."

The pain subsided as quickly as it had come. Tyler took a deep breath.

"Look, I don't know what I'll do when I turn. For all I know I could hurt you pretty. Bad."

"I don't care. I promised you I'd be here with you. I won't leave you."

Another episode of excruciating pain shot through Tyler. And this time she didn't stand back to watch. She fell on her knees beside him, enveloped him in an embrace and held him tightly.

"It's gonna be okay. You're not alone," she whispered soothingly.

"The bottle," Tyler groaned.

"What?"

"The bottle. Over there. Give it to me…!" he pointed at a bottle lying a few feet away from them.

"Sure." Caroline got up, got the bottle and gave it to him. "Here you go. What is it?"

"Wolfsbane. Supposed to weaken wolves," he explained as he opened the bottle and then downed the liquor in it.

The next moment he spit it out in agony.

"You sure it's supposed to help?" Caroline asked anxiously.

"Argh, it hurts," he said breathing heavily. "Guess it's a good thing."

"What is this stuff? Poison for werewolves?"

"Guess so."

"Is it working?"

"Didn't really get much of it inside," he replied and raised the bottle to try again but in that moment another, stronger episode of pain took hold of him. His body convulsed heavily and started to deform.

"GO!" Tyler urged Caroline.

"I won't!"

"Please…!" he begged before the transformation began.

For a few seconds Caroline was left to watch horrified but when she saw his eyes change and the sharp teeth bared at her self-preservation got the best of her. She shot out of the cave and bared the door behind her. She felt Werewolf-Tyler push hard against it and tried as best as she could to push back.

_Please,_ she thought desperate. _Let it be a short transformation._

At some point the pushing stopped and there was silence. Caroline held her breath.

"Tyler?"

All she got as response she got a terrifying growl. She screamed and bolted into the woods. Turning around more frequently than necessary she anticipated Tyler hunting her.

To her surprise he didn't.

Bewildered she came to a halt. Breathing heavily she spun around, trying to make him out somewhere. She expected him to appear behind a tree and attack her but she was alone.

She swallowed and tried again. "Tyler?"

This time the response was a howling – from the distance. He wasn't close. Relief washed over Caroline.

Against her better judgment she walked back to the old Lockwood grounds. There she took a seat on the steps and stared into the dark vault. She knew Tyler was still in there. And a glance at the moon above her in his full glory told her that the worst wasn't over yet. So she was left waiting for the clouds to cover the moon again.

* * *

After a few hours the woods were pitch dark and it started to rain.

"Thank God," Caroline whispered, got up and slowly walked down downstairs.

To her relief the door was still barred. Coming to a halt in front of it she hesitated.

"Tyler?"

No growl or howling this time but a heartbreaking whimper like a dog which was in pain.

Caroline didn't waste time, unbarred the door and rushed into the vault.

She found Tyler lying in a fetal position on the ground, quietly whimpering.

"Tyler…" She dropped on her knees beside him and hugged him tight. "You made it. And you didn't hurt anyone. It's over now. It's okay now."

"No, it's not," he choked.

Tears were streaming down his face. He was still in pain and aftershock from what he had gone through.

Caroline hugged him tighter. "But it will be. You're not alone. I'm with you."


	67. The Beginning of a Wonderful Friendship

_Hey, guys! Thanks for your reviews to the last chapter! :) I'm happy about every review I get these days because they became rather seldom :(_

_It's just weird before I brought Elena and Damon together I got tons of reviews and now that they are together, what you wanted so much, I get so little and that makes me a little sad :( I'm doing my best to keep this fanfiction going because it means so much to me. I hope it still means much to you, too. _

_Well, enough with the emo bawling._

_So after the latest episode - after which I cried buckets - I desperately needed some Delena and Forwood fluff. So here it comes. Enjoy! 3_

* * *

**Chapter 67: The Beginning of a Wonderful Friendship**

One day later they met in the school hallway. Actually, she met him when he tapped her innocently on the shoulder.

"Hey," she greeted him smiling.

"Hey. Just wanted to say thank you again, you know for yesterday," he added in a low voice.

Her smile didn't vanish. "You're welcome, Tyler."

"At least there's one person I can trust," he added darkly when he spotted Damon and Elena walking toward them.

"You really need to give Damon a break," Caroline opined sighing. "The guy is head over heels in love with Elena. I'm sure killing someone's uncle isn't the worst of things he would do for Elena."

In that moment Damon and Elena just walked past them. While walking Damon's face showed his predator smirk. "Blondie, you me, after school."

"What then, Damon? You'll finally pour your heart out?" the Blonde teased.

"Care," Elena said shaking her head.

"I'll show you after school, Blondie," Damon told Caroline. Then he acknowledged Tyler's presence with a nod and a "Wolf."

"Vampire," Tyler shot back.

"How was your rendezvous last night? I heard something about a lost puppy."

Tyler's anger rose while Caroline quickly defended herself. "I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't need to," Damon explained. "Full Moon, Sunday night, Barbie not out partying. I can put two and two together, you know," Damon remarked.

"I wouldn't have wanted to party anyway. Not with all this drama with – " Just then Matt walked past them, ignoring Caroline completely. The Blonde sighed. "…Matt…"

"It's time to leave, Dracula," Tyler told Damon now. "You're not in high school anymore."

"Which is definitely an upside considering I'd have to see you stinking, lousy–"

"Guys!" Elena interrupted firmly. "Enough already."

Caroline looked back and forth between the two men who hated each other equally.

"You know after school doesn't sound so bad after all," she said.

Damon eyes narrowed to slits. "Blondie, what are you up to?"

"You'll see," she evaded, put one arm each on Tyler and Elena's back and gently pushed them forward. "We're late for class. See you later, Damon," she added quickly and then pushed her friends a little firmer, hoping they would get the message which they did.

"See you later, Damon!" Elena called over her shoulder and then turned to Caroline. "Seriously, Care, what have you planned for after school?"

Caroline simply smiled and tapped her ear, reminded her that Damon could still hear them. "All I'll say is: he won't like it."

* * *

"I don't like this," Damon and Tyler declared in unison after school. They were standing by the school parking lot and Caroline had just told them what she wanted. She wanted them to get along no matter what.

"That means you forgive each other," she explained. "You, Tyler, forgive Damon for killing your uncle and you, Damon, forgive Tyler's, I might add _dead_, uncle for attacking Elena."

"No way. How do I know _he_ won't try it next time," Damon protested and pointed at Tyler.

"Same here," Tyler agreed.

"You just need to trust each other. Come on guys, it's not that hard."

"I don't trust wolves," Damon declared stubborn.

"Vampires," Tyler spoke for himself.

"Oh goddammit, stop being so childish!" Caroline flared. "No," she then corrected herself. "actually you're worse than kindergarteners."

"Come on, guys," Elena chimed in. "For how long has this feud between vampires and werewolves been going on? Several centuries? Millennia, even? It's time that someone puts an end to it. You could be the ones."

Damon and Tyler glared at each other, neither willing to give in. In the end however it was Damon who gave up his resistance.

"Oh, what the hell, forgiven but not forgotten," he offered.

Tyler hesitated for a moment but then he agreed. "Fine with me."

Caroline and Elena let out sighs of relief but Caroline wasn't satisfied yet.

"Do it the real way. Words don't mean anything. Shake on it or whatever but do something symbolic."

"Barbie, has anyone ever told you that sometimes you can be a real pain in the ass?" Damon remarked.

"Sorry, Care but I have to agree with him on this one," Tyler said.

The girls chuckled. A few more seconds passed then the boys shook hands – although it rather looked like they were trying to crush each others hand. Eventually Tyler yelped in pain and pulled his hand back.

"Oh sorry," Damon apologized smugly. "I forgot that full moon is over."

Tyler just glared at him.

The girls exchanged a glance and grinned. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

* * *

A few days later...

"Hey."

"_Hi, sweetie. You alright?"_

"Yeah, I'm pulling through," Caroline answered. "What's up?"

"_Ah, I'm just calling about the Founders Party tomorrow. Are you going?"_

"Kinda have to because of my mom."

"_Right, I forgot. Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow. Hang in there. Care,"_ Elena added.

"Yeah, see you. Bye."

Caroline hung up. She had no interest in going to that stupid Founders Party but her mother, the sheriff, wouldn't let her stay at home to sulk. Though she would be pretty alone. The only friend she had who wasn't currently in a relationship, Bonnie, was down with the flu and wouldn't be able to attend the party. Everyone else would show up in couples. And her mentor Stefan wouldn't even show up at all. He had been spending most of his time sulking at home himself because he still wasn't over Elena.

* * *

"I kinda lost track," Elena murmured while she got ready for the Founders gala. "How many events does Mystic Falls have and are hosted by Mrs. Lockwood and hence are binding to attend?"

"Too many," Damon agreed. He hated those events, too. "You know... we could just... stay here... while everyone is out..." he proposed wiggling his brows cockily.

"Forget it, perv," she rejected.

"How long has it been Elena?" he whined. "One month? Two? I'll be damned that means..." He did the math and then slumped on the bed, defeated. "Way too many months without sex."

"Get used to it," Elena muttered as she put on lipstick. "I'm not ready yet."

"Didn't take you so long with Stefan," he reminded her sourly.

"Exactly and look how that ended," she replied. "I'm sorry, Damon. I just don't want to rush into this thing and then realize it's not the right thing. Please give me some more time."

"Tell you what. I'll give you exactly one and a half months."

"One and a half? But that's –"

"Christmas, exactly. Will be the best Christmas present I ever got." He grinned like a boy at the wonderful image in his mind.

"Fine," she agreed. "By then it'll be cold and I might be in a mood anyway."

"Good. I hope we'll have a long freezing-your-ass-off winter this year."

Mildly amused Elena shook her head as she walked over to her wardrobe and took out the dress she wanted to wear at the gala. Her gaze travelled to the closed bathroom door. She walked over there and knocked.

"Jer, you guys ready?"

"No, we need some more time," her brother called back.

"Only God knows what they've been doing in there for the past hour," Elena muttered and instantly got a reply from Anna inside the bathroom. "I heard that!"

Elena sighed, then caught Damon's delightful expression.

"Out."

"Elena...!"

"Out or you'll spend Christmas alone this year," she threatened.

"You already agreed!"

"Yes but I can change my mind all the time and as you well know it takes two for it, Damon."

"That's blackmail!"

"I don't care. Out!"

Damon groaned in irritation and got up. "You have a hella lot to make up for on Christmas, Miss Gilbert," he told her before he left and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Later both Damon and Elena were perfectly dressed attending the Founders gala and dying of boredom.

"Well, if becoming adult means becoming as boring as Mrs. Lockwood then I'd rather not become adult at all."

"And in addition to that you'd like to fly around all day long, right?"

"You know Peter Pan?" she asked amazed.

"'Course Elena. Just because I was born in the 1800s doesn't mean I don't keep up with the times. Other than becoming Petra Pan you could of course become a vamp if you're hung up on the youth part."

"No thanks," she rejected. "I'd rather enjoy the advantages of being human a little longer."

"So you admit that you have thought about it?" He stared her down.

"Occasionally," she confessed. "I mean, how can I not, having a vampire boyfriend and all."

"Ahhh, forever," Damon sighed and added in a sing-song voice. "It's calling out to you."

"Not necessarily," she contradicted. "We may talk in a few years about it if we're still together then."

"What are a few years compared to forever? You should really be careful with your promises, Elena. I'll do everything to make us last."

"Please do," Elena encouraged him and kissed him to prove her point.

"You bet," he whispered into her ear. "This feels a lot like the last time we danced here," he then changed the subject.

"You mean the first time you kissed me?" she said grinning.

"I think now might be a good time to tell you that it wasn't all show back then."

"I guessed so."

"I knew right then I'd won you over."

"You're so full of yourself," she replied amused. "But to me it doesn't feel the same. The music was better back then. Now it's too crowded and the ambience is awful."

"That can be changed," he offered, wiggling his brows.

Elena laughed. "Are you going to abduct me, Mr. Salvatore?"

"Wouldn't that be great?"

Elena smiled but didn't answer.

At that point Tyler Lockwood interrupted.

"Hey, we're gonna take off and have a real party by the lake in the woods. You in?"

"We in?" Elena redirected the question to Damon.

"Will there be booze involved?" the vampire asked.

"You bet, man," Tyler confirmed.

"Then we're in."

Elena shrugged. "I guess we're in then. Have you asked Caroline yet?" she inquired.

"Not yet," Lockwood answered, glancing at the blonde in the distance. "She doesn't seem to be in party mood."

"You could change that," Elena encouraged him.

He smiled. "See you guys there," he said and walked off into Caroline's direction.

"Interesting how little it takes to persuade you to go to party hosted by Tyler Lockwood," Elena teased when he was gone.

"I'm in a mood," Damon replied shrugging.

* * *

Tyler walked over to Caroline who was sitting on a chair away from the rest of the crowd, occasionally sipping on her drink and otherwise sulking.

"Hey, vamp friend," he greeted her and knelt down so they were on eye-level.

A small smile grazed her lips when he used that nickname. "Hey, Tyler."

"So... you're enjoying the party?"

"Yeah..." she answered not sounding convincing at all.

"Liar," he shot back and she grinned sheepishly. "Look," he continued. "The cool kids are getting the hell out of here. You coming with?"

"I don't know. I'm not really in party mood," she hesitated.

"Getting drunk and brooding is allowed," he told her and she grinned again. "I'd really like to have you there," he then added, giving her an encouraging smile.

"Come on, Barbie," Damon's voice filled their ears. They turned their heads to see Damon still standing with Elena at the other end of the house. Enhanced hearing was amazing. He only whispered and still they could hear him loud and clear. "We're both going to die of boredom and Elena can't lose any of us so be a good girl and get your ass over here so we can leave this apocalypse of fun."

Tyler looked at Caroline and they shared a grin.

"Fine," she gave in and took the hand that Tyler offered her.

* * *

_I love Damon-Tyler banters. Been reading a lot about that in fanfictions and wanted to include that, too. I really think Damon and Tyler could put an end to the feud :)_

_More Delena and Forwood fluff on the way :) Anyone dying for christmas to come in this story? ;)_

_P.S. I recently got tumblr. Feel free to follow me :) You'll find the link in my profile :)  
_


	68. Beginning of a Wonderful Relationship

_Hey, inspiration hit me again and I can present another chapter to you :) This chap is complete fluff from beginning to end xD And we've got almost everything covered: Delena, Forwood and a little bit of Janna 'cause I really miss Anna :( Hope you'll enjoy it!_

* * *

**Chapter 67 Pt. 2: The Beginning of a Wonderful Relationship**

"That's more like it," Damon said when the party was already going on.

Elena nodded, sipping on her beer.

"What's wrong? You're so silent."

"I'm watching," she told him and pointed over to the trunk Caroline was sitting on. Matt had just joined her.

"Not curious at all, aren't we?" Damon said, smiling mildly as he hugged her from behind.

"I'm just preparing myself to be the shoulder to cry on."

"Ooooh, the kids are fighting." Damon turned his head into the opposite direction to have his suspicions confirmed. Over there at the clearing Anna and Jeremy were having a heated argument.

Elena sighed. "Wonder what they're fighting over again."

"Maybe another John appeared," Damon mused aloud. "They seem to pop out everywhere."

"That's not funny, Damon," she reprimanded him. "If John ever comes back Anna's screwed and I'm screwed, too if she finds out I told you about that particular fight." She turned her head back to watch Caroline and Matt.

"Can you hear them?" she suddenly asked.

"Matt's annoying."

"Damon…"

"No, really. He's annoying Caroline."

* * *

"I don't understand why we can't just talk about it," Matt said.

"Matt, we already did," Caroline shot back. "I know it sounds crazy but we already talked about it. I shared a secret with you and you couldn't deal with it so I forced you to forget about it. Please just let it go. And I'm sorry but I can't be with you if you can't accept me for what I am."

"But you can hang with Tyler then?" he demanded angrily.

"Yes," she answered simply. "'cause Tyler has a secret, too which I'm keeping for him. At least he accepts me the way I am."

"So this is it?" Matt asked sadly.

"I guess so. I'm sorry, Matt," she replied sincerely.

"Yeah, whatever," he brushed it off and walked away.

Sighing Caroline buried her head in her hands.

* * *

"Poor Caroline," Elena said after Damon had finished his commentary. "Come on, let's walk over to her."

"Not so fast, honey." He stopped her. "Watch and be amazed."

So she waited until she understood what he meant.

"Tyler…"

* * *

Like Damon and Elena, Tyler had watched the final breakup of Caroline and Matt and joined the blonde now. He sat down beside her and started rubbing her back soothingly.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, it's over now." She sighed heavily. "No more trying, no more pretending…"

"That's gonna sound harsh but… it's better this way. It's not really fair to be with someone without letting him know what you are. And it's not fair for you to be with someone who can't accept what you are."

"You had your doubts, too, at first," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. But you changed that. I trust you. I know you won't hurt me."

"And I know that you won't hurt me on a full moon," she added smiling.

"Not intentionally but I still think running away at some point is the better option. So… can I count on you on the next full moon?"

They chuckled.

"You bet," she promised. "Thank you, Tyler," she added and hugged him.

Pleased with himself Tyler hugged her back.

* * *

"And they hugged happily ever after."

"I think they make a cute couple."

"The wolf's definitely better for her than the human," Damon agreed. "That guy's so boring."

"Hey. Ex-boyfriend, remember?"

"Oh, right. But in the end you chose the better, hotter, superior choice after a little detour with my brooding brother –"

"What's gotten into you so suddenly?"

"I've already told you like a million times!"

"Yeah, well, forgive me for not getting it!"

"Hey!" Damon interrupted the arguing couple of Jeremy and Anna as they were just passing by. "Will you shut up, please? You're getting on my nerves."

"On mine, too," Jeremy agreed. "What's your problem, Anna?"

"I'd like to know that, too."

"Shut up, Damon," Anna snapped before turning to Jeremy.

"I'll explain it to you. Again. On the way home. Let's just go. I'm not in the mood to party anymore."

"Fine. Bye, guys," Jeremy said to Elena and Damon before leaving with Anna.

"Kids," Damon grumbled and in the next moment he had to avoid a branch that Anna had hurled at him and nearly hit him.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Damon shouted after her but she just kept walking away. "Damn, that woman is dangerous. Maybe Jeremy should ask Ric to lend him his ring."

* * *

"That's not the way home," Jeremy observed when they had rounded half of the lake.

Anna sighed. "I know. I lied. I don't want to go home yet. I just wanted to get away from that party."

"Okay," Jeremy said, putting his hands into his pockets. "So… are we going to talk about this?" he then asked carefully. He didn't want to provoke her even more.

"Yeah. Come, sit with me," she replied, sat down on the grass and patted the space beside her.

He complied and looked at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, I've been in a bad mood lately. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"That's okay – " Jeremy began.

"No, it's not." She shook her head as she stroke the hair out of his face. "The thing is… I'm tired, Jeremy. I'm tired of parties, I'm tired of school. I'm tired of this life. My life used to be a lot different before I met you. I was traveling around all the time because they was no place I would've called home. But at least I had a life purpose. I wanted to get my mom out of the tomb and everything I did was part of my plan to get her back. I managed that in the end. But then John took her away from me and everything was for nothing. And now we've been together for 4 months and I've been stuck in this town which I used to hate because of the original families who lived here and hunted us. But I settled here and I have no life purpose anymore. I live from day to day but it doesn't seem to be enough. Can you understand that?"

Jeremy looked sadly at her. He understood her perfectly. Basically she was telling him what they had wasn't enough for her. And it hurt him. But he didn't want her to know. He tried to keep composure.

"Yeah, I understand that. Of course I understand. I used to think so, too. After my parents died I didn't know what to do with my life anymore. I was so sad and I let that feeling take over my life. I lost my friends because they didn't want to hang with a depressed kid like me. Then I started to do drugs and got close to Vicky 'cause she was depressed, too but that didn't help much either. It didn't really take away the numbness that I felt." He paused a second. "But then we met." His face lit up when he recalled the first time they had met. "And you distracted me from my loser life. You made me feel happy and I finally had fun for the first time since the accident. And then I thought you died and all the sadness and tiredness came back. I just wanted it over. Well, you know what happened after that. But I can honestly say that those last few months that we've been together and living together have made me feel incredibly happy. But I can understand if you say that this isn't enough for you. That this life with me isn't enough for you," he added, trying to keep the sad tone out of his voice.

Anna's eyes widen in horror. "What? No! God, no! That's not it. Oh, Jeremy, it's not you. Come here." She reached out and hugged him tightly for a moment then the pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Let's talk turkey, okay?" He nodded. "Okay, here it goes. I could never be tired of you, Jeremy, or of us. I feel just like you. Ever since we're together I've been happy. Even though, we fight sometimes." She gently nudged him into the ribs. "But no relationship is perfect, right? You're the first guy who accepts me the way I am and doesn't practically beg me to turn him. You helped me get over my grief when my mom died. And I don't want to lose you. Ever. I love you."

A wave of relief washed over her when she smile creeping on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, I love you, Jeremy," she repeated and happily accepted the kiss he initiated.

After a minute or so they broke apart. "Can I say something now?" Jeremy asked.

She nodded smiling.

"I love you, too," he said. "And I don't want to lose you either."

He kissed her again, briefly.

"And we're definitely gonna find you a hobby," he then added and she laughed.

* * *

When Damon and Elena got home at a quarter to two in the morning they got a surprise. Jenna was still awake, waiting for them.

"Oh, Jenna! Good evening," Damon greeted her a little uneasy – he usually sneaked into Elena's room without running into her aunt – and that feeling increased immensely when he caught her narrowed gaze. "Or is it good night…?"

"No, it's okay. You and Anna have basically been here all of the time so I figured since you don't seem to have a home of your own you might as well stay over night from time to time."

Their faces lit up. Especially Elena was happy by the news. Having Damon by her side at night was one thing. Having him there with the permission of your legal guardian was something else entirely.

"Really?"

"Really. I trust you. "But, Damon," she added menacingly. "If anything happens I'll kill you."

"There's no need to worry, Jenna. We have an agreement."

"What agreement?" Jenna asked suspiciously just when Elena snapped "Shut up Damon!" Then she turned to her aunt.

"Nothing, Jenna. You really don't need to worry."

"Exactly," Damon agreed. "We'll be safe – I mean good."

"You're such an idiot," Elena muttered as she dragged him toward the stairs. "Good night, Jenna."

"Yeah, night, Jenna," Damon said grinning sheepishly.

"Night…" Jenna replied and couldn't help but be suspicious.

"Oh, dear," Damon sighed when they entered Elena's bedroom. "The kids probably got the same speech and they were already pissed."

"Shh!" Elena hissed. "You don't have to increase their anger, you know."

"Apropos kids. It's suspiciously quiet next door, don't you think?" he said and walked over to the bathroom.

"Damon, don't!"

"Do you want to check? Though I already know the answer."

"What are you talking about?" she asked confused.

"The kids are still out."

"No way. It's two in the morning."

"So what? They're young. They're in love –"

"Shut up, Damon," she shot back and joined him in the bathroom. She opened the door to Jeremy's bedroom and poked her head inside to find it empty.

"You're right. They're not here."

"Told ya so," he replied in a sing-song voice. "So… what are we gonna do now, hm?" he added and eyed the shower with great interest.

Elena followed his gaze. "Perv," she said and squeezed her way past him to walk over to her bed and take out her cell.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked, following her.

"Texting, Jeremy. I'm surprised that Jenna is okay with them being out so late."

_Look at the time. Where the hell are you?_

Two minutes later she got a rather irritated answer.

_Still out. Jenna knows. Don't text or call again. Ever. _

"Oooh, I think we interrupted them doing… whatever," Damon joked, reading the text over her shoulder.

"Is there anything else on your mind?" she shot back annoyed.

"I told you I'm showing deficiency symptoms."

"Yeah... sure... I wonder if something's wrong with Jenna for letting them do this..."

At that moment Jenna walked past the bedroom but stopped when she heard Elena.

"You talking about Jeremy and Anna? They called earlier. They're gonna sleep at Anna's tonight," she told them. "Goodnight."

"Sometimes I love how ignorant your aunt is," Damon said, chuckling after closing the door.

"Right, Jenna doesn't know that Pearl's dead," Elena remembered, slumping on the bed where Damon joined her soon and dropped on Elena's teddy bear.

"You know," he grumbled as he retrieved the bear from under his head. "One of us really needs to go."

"Okay," Elena replied innocently, snatched the bear from him and hugged it to her chest.

"Excuse me, you're choosing that bear over me?" He feigned to be hurt.

"The choice was actually pretty easy. See, Mr. Teddy here doesn't need so much space and he doesn't crack silly sex-related jokes... and he's like really hot."

"Looks like I got serious competition. Well, I'm not gonna give up so easily. If I have to I'll fight for you," Damon said without a warning he rolled over, snatched the bear away from her and put it on the bedside table. Totally pleased with himself and lying on her he grinned at her.

"That wasn't a fair fight," she complained. "Mr. Teddy couldn't even defend himself."

"I'm a smart and fast vampire. No one, not even, your allegedly hot Mr. Teddy can compete with that. So... do I get my prize now or what?"

"Who said anything about a – " Elena began but never got to finish the sentence because Damon made sure he got his prize.

* * *

It was five in the morning when Caroline came to a halt in front of her door. The keys were already in her hand but she didn't want to go inside just yet so she turned around to the person who had taken her home.

"Thanks for taking me home," she said smiling. "I can't believe it's so late, or rather early," she corrected herself.

"Yeah, well, it's impolite to leave a party you host early, right?" he replied grinning. "Did you like it?"

"Yes, it was fun. It was definitely better than your mom's party. No offence but she could really use an event manager."

"I've been telling her that most of the time."

They chuckled.

"It was great," Caroline said. "And so were you. You were good distracting me," she added a little melancholic and looked down at the ground.

"Caroline," he said softly and she looked up again. "Matt's an idiot for rejecting you, you know."

Caroline's bottom lip quivered as she tried to keep herself together but his words just sent her straight over the edge and before she could stop herself she had thrown her arms around him. Tyler hugged her back, tightly. So they stood there hugging for what felt ages until Caroline pulled away.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking at him from under her teary eyelashes.

Tyler's response wasn't vocal because actions spoke louder than words. So he cupped her face and pulled her into a soft and long kiss.

* * *

_So Tyler and Caroline will be dating from now on. I was happy like a child on christmas when I watched the latest episode. Caroline's right. They're not perfect but at least they have each other, right? I'm really looking forward to season 3 and hope that they will start dating there soon!_

_I actually teared up when I wrote that little part with Jenna. R.I.P. Jenna Sommers. I cried so much when she died. She would have been a great vampire I'm sure. Damn Klaus..._

_Well, like I said, I miss Anna. And since I already decided to keep her in this story I wanter her and Jeremy to catch up on everything they didn't get a chance to on the show like that little love declaration :)  
_

_So, someone asked when I'll post the christmas chapter I mentioned last time. My lucky guess is 3-4 chapters from this one. I have already planned out some things for the next couple of chapters like a Thanksgiving sequence (which I already wrote in November last year) and a chapter that will completely revolve around the (college) future of the characters. That will actually be the next chapter._

_So stay tuned and leave a review. Even if it's just a one-liner. That's already enough to make me happy! :)_


	69. Love Is In the Air

_Heya, Delena shippers! It took me some to time to update this fanfiction because honestly, ever since I watched the season finale I've been in this bubble where that last Delena scene kept playing over and over again... It was amazing, wasn't it? I cried so much - first because it was so sad (I never want to see Damon this way again T_T) and then because I was so happy! _

_Now about this chapter. This time we'll have some more Delena fluffyness - but it's also obvious that Damon is looking forward to Christmas just as much as you guys ;)_

_And then we'll have a little bit of Caroline/Damon. Recently I can really imagine them being friends. I think Damon is also a better mentor for Caroline._

_I hope you'll like it! :)_

* * *

**Chapter 68:**** Love Is In the Air**

Elena entered the kitchen to find Jenna there, having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Good morning," Elena greeted her joyfully.

"You're cheerful," her aunt observed.

"Having your boyfriend over will do that to you," the teenager replied while pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"So where is he? Still occupying your bed?"

"Yup. Damon can sleep like a stone," Elena lied without blushing. Actually, Damon had been awake for a few hours. He had already showered and had breakfast. The fact that Damon didn't have breakfast with them was the only thing Jenna seemed to find odd.

"Well, I'm gonna go back upstairs and see if he's ready to face the world yet," Elena joked and turned to leave.

"Um, Elena?"

The eighteen-year-old sighed. "Yeah?"

"Have you sent off your applications yet?"

Elena was slightly by the plural of application.

"Um, I don't know if you remember, Jenna, but I actually went to that summer program in San Francisco which cost a couple of thousand bucks which we paid with the money from the trust fund Mom and Dad left me."

"I know that, smart ass," Jenna shot back.

"So what about it? I'm already as good as in. Just have to fill out the form for Journalism School, include my reference from the summer program and send it away."

"All I'm saying is maybe you shouldn't rely too much on this single shot and might want to apply to other schools just in case," Jenna explained carefully.

Not really wanting to drag that conversation out Elena said "I'll think about it," and left the kitchen.

* * *

Upstairs she found Damon lounging on a chair with his legs crossed on her desk. She didn't mind. He had taken his shoes off.

"You still owe me for this," he reminded her as she closed the door and walked over to him. He held up her University of Richmond folder.

"I thought we covered that road trip in SF."

"No, that was only a bonus for you, honey. You still owe me one."

"Fine with me. Where do you want to go?" she asked, sipping her coffee. "Oh, I have something in mind," he answered airily. "But date and place will be a surprise," he added and tilted his head back to sneak a kiss from Elena who was standing behind him.

"Okay," she agreed, kissed him briefly before she walked over to her bed and took a seat.

"Your aunt is right though, you know," he told her as he joined her there.

"Not you, too."

"Sorry, I eavesdropped," he admitted smirking. "College boards can be very picky."

"I know. But I really don't have any idea where else to apply and for which topic."

"How about Duke? It's close," he suggested, taking the cup out of her hands.

"You mean like Isobel and Ric?" she asked. "No, I don't want that. I want to go my own way."

"Ewwww, what is this?" Damon complained after he had taken a sip of the coffee.

"Instant," was her response and the gratefully took the cup back.

"Gross."

"Not all of us can have bourbon in the morning."

"No, that's not it. It's this disgusting, supposed-to-be coffee. Ugh. Do you already have plans for tomorrow? If not I'm so taking you to Starbucks and having breakfast with you and real coffee."

"Sure," she agreed and took another sip of the instant. "Though I don't really know what you have to complain about. It's not overly delicious but it's okay."

"No, there's nothing okay with that stuff," he contradicted. "Damn, I already brushed my teeth."

"Brush them again," she replied and raised the cup to take another sip but Damon didn't let her. He took the cup out of her hands and placed it on the bedside table.

"Damon, what are you doing?"

"I need to get rid of this disgusting flavor," he explained as he slowly pushed her down flat on her back and hovered above her. "And you drinking more of that stuff would kinda defeat the purpose so…"

His lips crashed down on hers and started to kiss passionately. Her lips moved in sync with his and kissed him back just as hungrily. She parted them slightly to let his tongue slip into her mouth and explore it – and nearly went crazy over it. Kissing Damon was like a sweet assault. It was rough but amazing at the same time. And it awakened needs inside her she had successfully suppressed for a long time. Only with great effort she managed to break the kiss to catch her breath.

"What's this?" she asked, panting. "Morning after sex just without the sex before?"

He smirked. "Could get used to it?"

"Yeah."

"Me, too, but only if you didn't drink that coffee before," he replied and rolled off of her, earning himself a nudge into the rips.

"Really, you're unbelievable," she said, snuggling up to him. "But I love you anyway."

After that statement it became awfully quite between them. Damon stared at her, surprised. More so, he was shocked.

"Really?" he asked, not daring to get his hopes up yet.

"Yes," she answered sincerely, looking straight into his eyes with a shy smile on her face. "I love you, Damon Salvatore."

"At first here was no reaction to her words and Elena started to slightly worry that she had scared him or something but then his lips found hers again in a soft kiss. A few seconds later he pulled away and just smiled at her.

* * *

"You think you can do a couple of hours without me, honey?" he asked when they left Starbucks.

"Sure. What are you up to?"

"I'm gonna kidnap Caroline for a Bonnie and Clyde blood bank raid outside the state."

"Why can't I come with you?"

"It's better if it's just the two of us. In and out, you know," explained.

"Oh, yeah sure. I'll call Bonnie or something," she said.

"I'd postpone it but I'm kinda running short," he admitted.

He was indeed running short. He had had his last bag of blood yesterday morning.

"No, really, it's okay," she assured him smiling. "I'll be fine. And I'll rather have you gone for a few hours than having your feed on the citizens of Mystic Falls. Does Caroline already know about your plans?"

"Not yet," he replied smirking.

"Oh, she's gonna be super pissed if she already has plans."

* * *

Caroline opened the door and was surprised to find Damon on her threshold.

"Damon?"

"Hey, Blondie. Get in the car."

"What? But I already have plans!" she protested

"I. Don't. Care," he countered with his sweetest smile. "_Get in the car_."

Now the sheriff appeared in his vision.

"Damon. Did something happen?"

"Hello, Liz," he greeted her politely. "No, everything's fine. I'm just here to kidnap your daughter." He put an arm around the blonde in a friendly manner. "Just catching up like the old times, you know," he added as he increased the grip on Caroline's shoulder.

"Yeah," she played along. "I'm gonna hang out a little with Elena and Damon. See you later, okay, Mom?"

"Yeah, sure, have a good time."

"We will," Damon replied smiling and removed his arm from Caroline's shoulder. "It was good to see you, Liz."

"Yes, you, too, Damon."

"Bye bye."

* * *

"Someone's edgy today," Caroline observed when they hit the road.

"I haven't fed in 24 hours," he told her.

"Okay, I'm gonna give you that. I just had a nice, microwave-warm, delicious cup of… A negative, I think it was," she teased.

"Good for you. Who have you been texting all the time anyway?" he abruptly changed the subject and snatched the phone from her.

"Damon, give that back!"

"Oh, what do we have here? _'Sorry, Damon kidnapped me to stock up on our blood supplies. Call you when we get back. XXX'_ How romantic. And it goes out to… ha! I knew it! Tyler Lockwood. Something going on between Bella and Jacob? Those was their names right? From your stupid book?"

"Yes, right. And there's nothing going between us."

"Whatever you say," Damon said, gave her the phone back and turned on the radio.

_Love is in the air_

Damon slammed the breaks hard as he burst out laughing.

Caroline glared at him.

"It's the radio, okay? I swear," he replied to his defense as he shook with laughter. "I would have never thought of… this. Hahaha, amazing!"

"Yes, very funny. You can stop laughing now," she grumbled.

"I would… if I could… but… I can't… hahaha…"

"Alright, that's enough. I'll drive."

She reached out to grab the keys but he caught her arm in an iron grip.

"Don't. You. Dare," he threatened. "You will never get to drive this car."

"Why not? It's not that special."

Damon looked like having been slapped in the face. "Excuse me? This car," he emphasized while gently stroking the dashboard. "was produced long before you – You've gotta be kidding me! _Get your bitch books of my dashboard_!" he barked.

Reluctantly, Caroline removed her feet from the dashboard.

"Relax. It's just a car."

"It's more than that," Damon contradicted. "It's precious. It cost fortune. And there only a limited number of–"

"Yada, yada, yada," she interrupted him. "I get it. It's the love of your life. But wait, that's already reserved for Elena, right?"

Damon was silent. He wouldn't let her get to him.

"Oh, what's up? Did I render the great Damon Salvatore speechless?"

Damon was just about to shoot something back when suddenly her cell phone rang. Seeing his chance to get back at her he quickly grabbed the device before she could and looked at the display.

"Oh, I'm gonna love this."

"No, Damon! Gimme that! It's private!"

He put a finger on his mouth while holding the phone far out of her reach. Still, Caroline reached out for it and was almost on his lap.

"Shh, would you be quiet? I'm having a conversation here," he said smirking and took the call.

"Yeah?"

"Damon!"

"Yeah, that's right, I'm not your blonde angel of a girlfriend."

"_Damon!_"

"Yes, she's right here. What, not your girlfriend? That's weird. See, a little, blonde birdie just told me something different."

"Damon, just gimme that damn phone!" Caroline shouted.

"I see there's much to discuss. I'll give her the phone now. It was nice chatting with you, wolf boy," Damon said chuckling and let Caroline get a hold of her phone.

"You're such a jerk," she hissed before speaking into the phone. "Tyler? Hi. I was just going to text you but Damon was being a jerk as usual... Yeah, he kidnapped me to stock up on blood bags. How about I call you when we get back?"

"I could also drop you off at his place," Damon offered loud enough for Tyler to hear.

"Shut up, Damon!" Caroline spat.

"_Love is in the air_…" he said in a sing song voice and had another round of laughing fit.

"Yeah. See you later. Bye."

She hung up and stored her phone safely in her jacket.

"You're unbelievable."

"Are you serious? That was epic," replied as he started the engine. "I haven't laughed so much in a long time." He caught her glare. "Oh, don't pout. Chill. I don't disapprove of your little, forbidden romance."

"You don't?" she asked puzzled. "Weren't you the one telling me to stay away from him because of the whole werewolf bite thing?"

"That was before I knew you can handle him. I was seriously considering sending him to dog obedience school– "

"Stop being a jerk."

"Anyway, for what it's worth, should you decide to blast all rules and the entire balance of nature – "

"You're so melodramatic."

"Then you'll have my blessing. I'm glad you dumped that waiter loser. He wasn't good for you."

The blonde smiled. "Still looking out for me, aren't you?"

"Okay, I'm only going to say this once. So listen carefully and don't let it get to your head." He paused and she looked expectantly at him. "You've been a vampire for what – a few months? And you make every one of us look bad. Even though you're still young you have great control over your urges."

"Well, not always," she contradicted sadly and inwardly shuddered at the memory of biting Matt.

"No vampire is perfect," Damon reasoned. "But _you_'re coming damn close to that. I secretly admire you – for how you handle the emotion load."

"I think it's because I never figured out how to flip the switch, you know," she told him.

"Then keep it that way. I have flipped the switch for a very long time and then it blew up in my face. You kinda give me hope, you know. Make me believe that it's worth it. That it's worth to _feel_, even if you have to face dark feelings, too."

"It's definitely worth it," Caroline affirmed. "If you just let it all in and focus on the nice feelings you can deal with the dark ones much easier."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. "Alright and now enough with the deep conversations."

He reached out to turn on the volume of the radio.

_Love is in the air_

Damon started to laugh again. She frowned

"Wait, why is that still on?"

"Maybe the CD player of the station hung," he proposed laughing.

"It's _your_ CD player! You ass...!"

* * *

_Finally, a declaration of love! I think the timing is appropriate. Damon and Elena have been a couple for over a month now and have had feelings for another long before. Please don't be mad at Damon for not saying it back. You know him, saying the words doesn't come natural to him but we will say them eventually._

_Keep that road trip in mind. It might happen sooner than you think ;)_

_As already hinted at in this chapter, the next chapter will deal with some real life drama - college choice. So the gang will have to figure out which college they want to go to and what they want to study there. Personally, I think we get to see too less school life in TVD but I'm probably alone in that..._

_Until the next time!_


	70. It Is On

_70 chapters! Can you believe it? I've never written such a long story before! **You** made it happen! **Thank you so much for all your reviews and alerts! Love ya!**_

_So, in this chapter I actually wanted the characters to deal with the difficult topic **college choice** and I already finished the chapter but in the end it got so long that I just couldn't post it all in one chapter. It's as long as a normal chapter in a book. So I'm going to cut the chapter into shorter chapters. 'That's easier for me to structure and easier for you to read and follow. _

_In this chapter now a character makes a re-appearance and a conflict is introduced. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 70: It Is On**

Over the weeks Damon and Elena had established a routine. They woke up together. Elena went to shower first, and while she was downstairs having breakfast, Damon showered. And on school days he would drive her to school.

This day however it was a little different. When Elena walked out of the bathroom she found her bedroom empty. Damon was nowhere in sight.

"Damon?"

As response she got the sound from a car honk. Frowning, she walked over to the window and looked outside onto the street. Damon's car was parked in front of the house with Damon sitting in it. He waved at her with a coffee-to-go in his hand.

"Come out!" he called. "We're having breakfast to go today!"

Elena chuckled, grabbed her bag and went downstairs. She said goodbye to Jenna and Jeremy and went outside.

"You never cease to amaze me," she said as she got into his car.

"Trust me that's never going to stop," he assured her and handed her a cup of coffee-to-go. "Here you go."

"Thanks. I wondered where you disappeared to."

"I showered early before you woke up," he explained. "And while you were in the shower I got a breakfast."

"From Starbucks," she observed and helped herself with an English muffin. "Is this gonna become a routine now?"

"That depends. Do you want it to?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

""Then this will be our new morning routine," he decided and pulled out of the lot.

"You're really trying hard to keep me from that instant," she observed chuckling.

"I'll do _anything_ to keep you away from that stuff," he vowed.

"But you can't get muffins for breakfast everyday."

"Why not?"

"Because I'll get fat."

This time he chuckled. "I think that won't be a problem from Christmas on out," he predicted.

"Why?" she inquired confused.

""Because starting this Christmas you'll get _a lot_ of exercise that will keep you from putting on weight."

"Huh? Oh, you perv!" she squealed when she figured out the meaning behind his words, and smacked his arm.

"Took you long enough," he commented chuckling.

""Great, I'm dating the biggest player of the world."

"Oh, don't pout, honey," he said smirking and put his arm around her shoulders. "Trust me, after Christmas you will practically _beg_ me to get into bed with you." He winked.

"You wanna bet?" she challenged him.

"You wanna bet against it?"

"Oh, it is so on," she said.

"What do I get if I win?" he asked.

"Five bucks?"

"Deal."

"Wait, not so fast, what I get if I win?" she demanded.

"Wouldn't it already be humiliating enough for me if you did?" he countered.

"No, not gonna be enough. "I'll get ten bucks."

"Why do I get only five bucks and you ten?"

"Because you're basically a millionaire."

"Fine, whatever."

They shook on it.

"I'm looking forward to see your face," she teased grinning.

"Just you wait," he shot back, smirking.

* * *

"Care to make another bet?" he asked when he spotted Caroline getting out of her car.

"What kind of bet?" Elena demanded.

"I say Blondie and Wolf Boy are getting more than friendly with each other."

"You mean because of how they acted at the party? No, it's too early," she contradicted.

"So is it on?"

"Oh, it is so on."

"What do I get if I win?" he asked again.

"Whatever you like and I mustn't refuse."

"Wow, brave. Deal."

"Same stakes for you." she said. "If I win I get whatever I want and you mustn't refuse, either."

He hesitated. "You're a wicked girl, Elena Gilbert. But I'd lie if I said I didn't dig it. Fine, deal," he agreed eventually.

They shook on it again. Elena got out of the car after Damon had opened the door for her.

"Thanks," she said smiling.

"Do you realize that we haven't officially been on a date, yet?" he pointed out.

"You're right." She sudden became aware of it. "Thanks to my sloppy boyfriend."

"Excuse me? Who's the one spending all of her free time with her besties?" he shot back.

"You could have asked me out."

"I ask you out all the time. Why do you think I reminded you of that road trip? You were the one who wanted to take things slow. And honestly, if we're taking it any slower I'm gonna fall asleep."

"Then just – " Elena began just when Damon blurted out "Will you go out on a date with me tonight, Elena?"

"On a school night? Jenna will never agree to that."

Damon threw his hands into the air in frustration. "Why do I even bother – "

"But we could do a movie night," Elena quickly proposed.

"As you long as you don't Notebook me…"

"Don't like it?"

"I do. But not if I have to watch it 10 000 times." She gave him a look. "Get-over-Katherine relationships," he explained shrugging. "Didn't really work."

"I wonder why…" Elena muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Don't you like any Nicholas Sparks movies?" she asked dejectedly.

"There are a couple of decent ones…"

"Like?"

"Okay, look. You suggested the movie night. So it's only fair if I get to choose the movie," he evaded the question.

"Okay. As long as it's not about wars or zombies."

He chuckled. "Don't worry." His gaze wandered over to Caroline who was just walking up to Tyler who had just arrived. "Let's see who wins," Damon said.

_Come on, Blondie. Don't disappoint me…_

She didn't. Caroline didn't even get a word out because Tyler immediately pulled her close for a kiss.

"Damn…" Elena muttered. "Guess, you win."

"She's fast," Damon acknowledged. "Actually, I pushed her into that direction yesterday but I didn't really think she would – "

"Wait, what? You cheated!"

"I just told her I wouldn't mind," he replied shrugging.

"But it was only a matter of time. So I guess I win," he added smirking. "_I get whatever I want and you mustn't refuse_."

"The bet's off. You cheated. You don't anything," she grumbled.

"Hey, to my defense, I didn't really think she'd rush into things after my… suggestion."

"After your _suggestion_ she was practically compelled to approach him! No pun intended," she quickly added.

"Are we really arguing over details now? You're just disappointed that you lost."

"Fine, you win!" she flared. "Though it's still unfair! I demand some damage control!"

"In what form?" he asked, suspicious.

"_I_ get to choose the movie."

"Fine, whatever," he grumbled. "But don't expect me to keep my mouth shut if I don't like it."

"Fine!" she spat.

* * *

Some feet away from them Bonnie arrived just when another car she recognized pulled up next to her. A minute later Stefan Salvatore came into her view.

"Oh, hey, Stefan," she greeted him friendly.

"Hello, Bonnie. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. So you're coming back to school?" she asked.

"Yeah. I didn't know what else to do," he admitted.

"School is a great distraction, trust me," she assured him smiling.

"Yeah…" he replied but his attention was focused on the couple a few feet away. "It's still hard to see them together," he sighed.

"I can imagine. Well, it is strange," Bonnie said. "But he's making her happy… usually," she added frowning when the couple started to fight. "Guess that's the only thing that count's, right?"

"I guess so," he agreed.

* * *

"Goodbye kiss?" Damon asked now and gave her a puppy look. No pun intended.

"No, I don't kiss cheaters," she rejected. "See you later."

She started to walk away – over to Bonnie.

"You better hope I like that movie!" Damon called after her.

She ignored him. She knew she was being childish but she had wanted to win this bet at least in terms of damage control for the first bet because she knew she was going to lose that one, too. Caroline had told her a lot about Damon's _skills_ in bed…

She sighed and joined Bonnie who was talking to some boy. Only when she stood right next to him she recognized who it was.

"Stefan." She was surprised to see him.

"Hello, Elena," he greeted her with a faint smile.

"Well, I'm gonna give you some minutes," Bonnie said and walked away."

"So you're coming back to school then?" Elena asked. The situation was awkward. Talking to ex-boyfriends was always awkward but now it was almost unbearable.

"Yeah. I was thinking about leaving Mystic Falls but I didn't really know where to go so I thought I might as well stay," he told her.

"Figures…"

"So, um, that's probably a lot to ask for but I was wondering… if we could be friends at least?" he asked uneasy.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, absolutely," she agreed, giving him a small, encouraging smile. "Of course we can be friends." And then she added "I'm sorry, Stefan."

"It's okay. I don't resent you for your decision," he assured her.

She thanked him, feeling a little bit better. But then she realized that Damon was still on school grounds and probably listening intently in on their conversation. Jealousy included. She looked past Stefan to see that he was indeed not amused. His arms were folded and his eyes dark and narrowed.

"So, um, we should probably get inside," she said to Stefan.

"You go. I'll be right behind you. I just want a few words with Damon."

"Please don't fight," she begged.

"No one's fighting, Elena. Just talking," he assured her.

"Okay. See you inside then," she replied uneasy.

She met Damon's gaze questioningly and found the elder Salvatore nodding curtly. She turned around and walked toward the school entrance, while Stefan made his way over to his brother.

"Hello, brother," Damon greeted him through gritted teeth.

He didn't approve of Stefan and Elena being friends. He didn't trust Stefan, not when it came to Elena. So he felt the need to be protective of her.

"Hello, Damon," Stefan returned the salutation. "How are you?"

"Just peachy."

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm no longer angry at you for stealing my girlfriend."

Damon scoffed at that. Stefan and Elena hadn't been on a break when he and Elena had kissed, they had been over.

"Though I don't think you'll be the one who can make her truly happy," the younger Salvatore went on.

"We'll see about that," Damon retorted.

"Yeah," Stefan said. "It was good to see you, Damon."

"Yeah, you, too, Stefan," Damon muttered sarcastically.

Stefan nodded, turned his back on him and walked toward the school entrance. Damon watched him until he entered the building. Stefan was not angry at him for being with Elena? He didn't actually expect him to believe that, did he? He knew Stefan. They'd been where they were now with Katherine. Only now the roles were reversed. But what Stefan didn't seem to understand was that Damon hadn't forced Elena to fall in love with him. She had done it by herself and out of her own will.

No, Damon wasn't a fool. Stefan coming back to school could only mean one thing. He was ready to get Elena back. Asking her to be friends was the proof. But Damon wouldn't let him take Elena back. He would never give her up. If he had to, he would fight for her because he couldn't lose her.

* * *

"Come on, pick up," Elena mumbled, pacing back and forth.

After ten rings she finally heard him take the call.

"_Shouldn't you be in class?" _

What a nice way to say hello… He was obviously still pissed.

"Damon, please, are you gonna be like this all day long?" she sighed in irritation.

_"Or all week long. Depends on what comes next,"_ he stated.

Elena groaned. "We just talked."

"_I didn't even mention it and that's the first thing that comes to your mind. Interesting. Guilty conscience?"_

"Look, I'm really happy you care so much about me to be all protective of me but I'm gonna talk to Stefan whenever I like. _Just talk_," she emphasized. "Deal with it."

"_Okay."_

"Can we have a real conversation now so that I can tell you why I'm calling?"

"_Go ahead."_

"Good. So, it turns out that class was cancelled. Instead we are scheduled to meet the school guidance counselor to talk about college," she told him.

She heard him chuckled on the other end. _"It's haunting you, isn't it?"_

"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to it at all. Mr. Finley will be just like Jenna. And I still have no alternative."

"_Well, you haven't really tried fining one," he reminded her._

"Hey, you're my boyfriend. You're supposed to support me and not slap me mentally."

"_Sorry, I thought I was supporting you by telling you the truth. Just tell that counselor that you're applying at Duke for history just like Ric. Then he'll shut up."_

"That'll be my last resort if I don't come up with something else," she replied.

_"Good luck with that."_

"Thanks," she grumbled. "Anyway, they go the alphabet backward. After the meeting we're free to go. I'll just call you when I'm done, okay?"

"_Okay. Oh, hey, I'm at the video rental right now. Had you rather an action-adventure or a historical-dramatic plot? Oh, wait, it's not your call 'cause I __get to choose the movie. Sorry I forgot,"_ he said smugly.

"Didn't we agree on something else?"

"_Yeah but I changed my mind. I'm not gonna grant you any damage control since Blondie can make her own choices and I'__m not a clairvoyant. Hence it was still fair."_

Elena let out an irritated sigh. She hated it when he was so self-opinionated. "Just pick something decent," she told him. "See you later."

_"Later, honey."_

"Love – " Elena began but he had already hung up before she could get the words out. For a moment she stared incredulously at her phone before she pocketed it and joined her friends on the bench opposite the counselor's office.

"Trouble in paradise already?" the witch teased when Elena slumped next to Bonnie who was sitting next to Caroline and Tyler. The only way all of them could had enough room on the bench was because Caroline was sitting on Tyler's lap – much to Tyler's delight.

They were all waiting for their turn. Stefan had gone back home as he didn't have any reason to talk about college. If he wanted to go to college he could just compel himself in.

Elena glared at Bonnie. "Everything's fine. I'm just moody because I made a bet with Damon and I lost."

"I would never bet with that guy. He'd probably cheat without blinking," Tyler opined.

"Yeah, exactly."

"And what were the stakes?" Caroline inquired.

"He's free to demand something he wants and I mustn't refuse."

"Wicked," the blonde commented and earned herself a glare.

"Probably not the only occasion he cheated," Tyler mumbled to himself but Elena still understood him perfectly.

"Right," Caroline agreed. "I'm pretty sure he cheated on me while I was with him."

Elena glared at both of them.

"But he won't now. Not with, Elena," Bonnie said confidently.

Elena's face lit up and she hugged her friend. "And that coming from Bonnie Bennett who wanted to kill Damon last spring. Gotta mean something."

"Right. Besides, if he was going to cheat on you I really would've killed him by now because I would've foreseen it."

"Having a witch as friend is quite useful," Elena said and all of them started laughing.

"Oh, look, college brochures," the witch abruptly changed the subject, sensing Elena's discomfort, and grabbed a brochure.

"Oh, keep those away from me, please," Caroline groaned.

"Give me one, please," Elena said.

"Haven't decided where you wanna go yet?" Bonnie asked as she handed her a brochure.

"Not quite."

"I'll have one, too," Tyler inquired and took the brochure Bonnie handed him. "Thanks."

Caroline gave him a look. "You totally suck."

He just chuckled.

"Hey, Bonnie, why are you bumming around here with us? You're on top of the name list. Why don't you go home and come back later?" Caroline asked.

"There's no one at home and I wouldn't know what to do with myself. So I hang here with you guys and keep you company until it's your turn," Bonnie answered.

"Aww, you're the best," Caroline said and gave her a quick hug.

"Always."

* * *

_Uh-oh. Elena really shouldn't have bet against Damon that he isn't satisfying in bed. And as to the other bet... it kinda legitimates Damon to do something he had anyway and Elena agreed not to refuse, right?_

_So Stefan's back. Really, I don't know what to do with him. This story is all about Delena but I can't just leave him behind. So I guessed he might be useful for some jealousy on Damon's part. More about that later on. _

_It is official, Forwood happened in this story. There are actually some really cute Forwood moments ahead, same as Delena moments of course._

_I'll upload the next chapters as soon as I copied them from my notebook!_

_P.S. how are you handling the hiatus? Are you cool and just wait for September or are you already going crazy and can't wait for September and are dying for every spoiler you can get - like me? XD_


	71. Your Future Awaits Pt 1

_So here it is, the big all-about-college chapter. It got so long so it's a two-parter. So, here's the deal. I recently watched a One Tree Hill episode that was all about college and it inspired me to do something in that style for this fanfiction. The chapter is partially written in prose and partially in interview-style. Hope you like it. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 71: Your Future Awaits**** Part 1**

The door of the counselor's office opened. A student walked out and Mr. Finley appeared.

"Tyler Lockwood?"

Tyler let Caroline climb off of him, got up and followed Mr. Finley into his office.

"So… have you spent any thought on college yet?"

* * *

Tyler: Not really.

Caroline: I don't like thinking about college 'cause it means that high school is over soon. I'm gonna miss it.

Elena: I haven't really thought about anything else since last spring.

Bonnie: It's pretty much everything a senior thinks about except finals, right?

Matt: Not yet. That's why I'm here, right?

* * *

"You're here so I can help you decide which college is best for you. Have you checked some out yet?"

Tyler: Not really. I mean, I'm not sure if I'm going to college at all. Then again… I have no idea what to do after high school.

Caroline: I only know what subject I'd like to apply for but not where.

Elena: Richmond.

Matt: Some that will pick me?

Bonnie: Not yet but I was hoping you could help me with it.

* * *

"Let's start with what you want to do first," Mr. Finley said. "What are you interested in? What are you good at?"

Tyler/Matt: Sports.

Caroline: Broadcast Journalism.

Bonnie: Social Studies.

"I wanna be a writer," Elena declared. "Though my boyfriend would disagree." She laughed.

* * *

**FLASHBACK **

_Elena was putting her clothes into the wardrobe while singing along to the music blasting out of the stereo._

"_Gotcha!" Out of sudden Damon blurred into her line of vision and got a hold on her. Nearly jumping out of her skin Elena abruptly stopped singing._

"_No, don't stop." He pouted. "How many times do I have to tell you that your voice is great?"_

_She smiled and shook her head. "You're exaggerating."_

"_I'm not," he contradicted. "Remember Disney World? I have witnesses who also loved you voice. Wouldn't that be a career for you? As singer? Or even Broadway. I can help you improve your dance skills."_

_She raised a brow. "I thought you though they were fine?"_

"_They are. But you have so much potential inside of you. You just have to let it out."_

"_Thanks, but no thanks," she rejected politely but firmly. "I already know what I want to do after high school."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"Do you already have some experience in that field?" Mr. Finley asked. "What are you engaged at school?"

Tyler: I'm head of the basketball and football team but actually, I'm good at any kind of sports.

Matt: I'm quarterback in the football team.

Caroline: I'm head of the cheerleading squad and head of newspaper and yearbook. So I think I've already got part of it covered.

Elena: I went to that summer camp where I could get an insight into the field and improve my writing skills. It was fun.

"I'm tutoring juniors and I'm a mediator," Bonnie told him. "And I'm a very good listener, that's important right?

"As a social worker you will be under a lot of stress," the counselor pointed out. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Sometimes I already feel like I'm carrying the fate of the earth on my shoulders. Metaphorically speaking."

Of course…

* * *

"And what if it doesn't work? Do you have any alternatives?" Mr. Finley wanted to know.

Caroline: Um…

Bonnie: Well, there are a lot of things I'm interested in. I think I'll find something that'll make me happy even if it isn't Social Studies.

Elena sighed. "You're just like my aunt. She keeps saying the same."

"Your aunt seems to be a very smart woman," the counselor said smiling.

"She is," Elena affirmed. "But the question is starting to annoy me. Sure, there are other things I'm good at but they won't make me as happy as writing. I could start a career as musical star as my boyfriend dreams of and I could step into my parents' footsteps and spend the rest of my life with mythology but I won't be happy then."

"I thought your father had been the town's physician and you're mother a columnist?" Mr. Finley replied confused.

"That's a long story," Elena evaded. "Let's not get into that okay?"

Suddenly Elena froze. What had she been talking? John had graduated in politics. There were only two people she knew who had gotten a more or less insight into the topic mythology. Without realizing it she had automatically referred to Isobel and Ric as her parents. She had to smile about that.

"Mythology is a very interesting subject and I can see here in your file that your strongest class is history –" the counselor began.

"No, really. I've got enough mythology in my life thanks to my parents."

She had done it again. Well, Alaric had turned into some kind of step-dad to her, hadn't he? At least more than John…

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Hey, Ric," Elena said when she met her favorite step-dad in the kitchen."_

"_Hi, Elena. What's up?"_

"_Nothing much. Hey, have you ever thought about marrying Jenna?" she blurted out._

_Alaric's jaw dropped. "Wh – what?" he stuttered._

_At that point Damon came walking into the kitchen. "Hey, Ric. Don't worry about it, man. Ever since she came back from her appointment with the student counselor she's been talking nonsense."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"My aunt is enrolled at Richmond so she knows how picky they are," Elena continued. "But I don't really see myself anywhere else. My aunt's boyfriend went to Duke so I asked him about it."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Duke."_

"_Stop it, Damon."_

"_Duuuuhuuuuuke," Damon said in a sing-song-voice._

"_Shut up, Damon!" Elena snapped. "I'm not going to apply to Duke! End of story!" _

"_You could at least ask Ric about it," he kept pushing._

"_But I don't _want_ to go to Duke. Don't you get that?"_

"_What if Richmond doesn't accept you after all?"_

"_Not that again…"_

"_Elena, you need to have a Plan B."_

"_Fine!" she exploded. "I'll ask him."_

_Annoyed she closed her journal and rose from the bed. She wouldn't even try to hide the book somewhere. Damon would find it anyway and read it. He was sneaky like that which pissed her slightly off because he couldn't write down everything that was in her mind anymore. She had actually considered starting a cell phone diary as she knew that he knew that he had better not get his hands on her phone._

"_Be right back," she told him, leaving the room._

_She found Ric in the kitchen – like always. How could someone spend so much time in a kitchen without eating anything?_

"_Hey, Ric."_

"_Hey, Elena. Jenna just called. She'll be home for dinner at seven," he told her._

"_Cool," she said. "Hey, um, can I ask you something?"_

"_As long as it's not about marrying Jenna again," he replied hesitantly._

_Elena blushed. "No, um, can we just forget this embarrassing moment, please?"_

"_Gladly."_

"_Great. No, actually it's about college. Jenna's been telling me to look for an alternative in case my writer plans won't work out. So, maybe you could tell me about Duke?"_

_Ric raised his brows. "You're actually considering applying at Duke?"_

"_No, not really," she admitted sheepishly. "But it's close. And if it's the only thing left–"_

"_Okay, I get it," he cut her off, smiling. "Take a seat. I'll tell you about Duke."_

_They sat down at the kitchen table. Ric took a sip of his coffee._

"_Well, you already know how it looks," he began. "So let's get straight to student life. The professors are really smart and cool guys. The kind of guys who'd crash your party if they hadn't papers to grade. Don't laugh," he said when Elena chuckled. "Well, now you know where I picked that lame excuse up. Anyway, they also help you out when you're stuck with your work. The exams are demanding but doable. For a fact, I hardly studied for tests or exams and still got my B. And as for the students, you have them all. The geeks, the nerds… freaks like Vanessa Monroe." They both chuckled at that. "I like it there very much," Alaric finished. "Sometimes I miss it. If Duke, for what would you apply?" he then asked._

_She sighed. "That's the thing. "I can't think of anything besides writing. It's what I'm good at and it's what I feel confident at doing."_

"_You are interested in history, aren't you?" Ric reminded her carefully._

"_Yes, I think it's fascinating but so is mythology," she answered. "And sorry but I think I've already got enough of it covered."_

"_Of mythology definitely," he agreed. "And Damon can tell you everything you want to know from the middle 1850s till today."_

"_Exactly."_

"_Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that you won't have to choose an alternative," Alaric said. "Have you sent your Richmond application off yet?"_

"_No. I wanted to wait till after the next appointment with the counselor next Monday."_

"_Good decision."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"That would have been my next question," Mr. Finley continued. "If you already talked to your parents about it. What did they do after high school?"

"Both of my parents are sheriffs, you know. My dad just in another town. He transferred all his duties here to my mom when he left. Actually, I have no idea what they did after school. I've never asked them. My mom doesn't support my plans of aiming at Broadcast Journalism. She doesn't take it seriously. I never really tried hard at school, maybe that's why," Caroline finished sadly.

* * *

"My father left us when I was a baby. In fact I don't even know the guy," Matt explained. "And my mom well… she can't settle in one place. She didn't go to college. She always has to move around in the world. So I'm alone most of the time. I'm working part-time at the Grill to pay the rent and power and gas for our house."

"That must be difficult."

"Sometimes it's hard," Matt admitted. "But it's okay. I'm pulling through. I can manage on my own. I can basically do anything I want. I don't need my mom's opinion on it."

* * *

"My mom died when I was little. My dad's working in Atlanta as an engineer. He sends me a check every month and checks in on me during breaks or I go to Atlanta to visit him."

"You're already the second student I've talked to today who is living on his own."

"Oh, right you talked to Matt before," Bonnie remembered. "Actually, it's not that bad. I've got my friends. They help me out when I need help. Back then it was either move with my dad to Atlanta or stay in Mystic Falls and live on my own. I chose Mystic Falls 'cause it's my home." Bonnie's face lit up. "My mom actually did have a degree in Social Studies my dad told me. Now you know where that comes from." She chuckled. "I totally have my dad's back. He even thinks I should go to my mom's old college. She went to Notre Dame."

"Notre Dame? That's very ambitious," Mr. Finley acknowledged. "Do you think you will be able to keep your grades at that level?"

"Absolutely," she answered confidently.

* * *

"My mom got a degree in Social Studies and Local Politics. Now she's the charity queen of this town. Same went for my dad."

"Right, you're father died recently," the counselor recalled. "My condolences. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Tyler answered truthfully. "My dad was a dick. I don't really miss him. It's just hard for my mom. But she thinks I'm a pretty decent sports man," he added smiling.

* * *

"So, you want to stay close to home?" Mr. Finley inquired.

Elena: Yeah, I'd like that. I'm not really the travel-and-start-a-new-life-somewhere-else type. I need security. I hate surprises.

Caroline: No matter where I go I want to be able to meet my friends from time to time.

Bonnie: Notre Dame is not very close, now is it?

Matt: I don't care where I go as long as I have a job.

Tyler: I've never really thought about that. But if I liked the place it wouldn't matter how far it is from home.

* * *

"What about your boyfriend/girlfriend? Is he/she a factor in your decision? What are his/her plans?" the counselor went on.

"What girlfriend?" Matt shot back darkly.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_They were standing in the hall, chatting vividly when Matt passed them._

"_She moves on fast," he hissed, at the sight of Caroline and Tyler together. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Bonnie: I don't have a boyfriend. So that's not a problem.

Caroline: We just got together.

Tyler: We haven't talked about it yet.

* * *

"You know, usually around this time of the year talent scouts from all the fancy colleges come by to look for potential students. You could try your luck at getting a scholarship," Mr. Finley suggested.

Tyler: Okay.

Matt: Sounds great.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Yo, Care," Tyler said, nudging her slightly to prevent her from falling asleep. _

"_Mmh?"_

"_You know, now might be good time to talk about us," Tyler began carefully. "About our future, you know…?"_

_Suddenly the blonde was wide awake. "You're right. I want to go to Richmond for Broadcast Journalism, and you?"_

"_I don't know but Mr. Finley said Notre Dame had a pretty good sports team."_

"_Notre Dame, huh? That's pretty far from Richmond." She sighed._

"_Yeah…"_

_Another moment of silence between them passed. Neither of them knew that to say until Caroline broke the silence._

"_Okay, look. I wanna do Broadcast Journalism, yeah, but what am I? 17. I'm a vampire. I have an eternity ahead of me. I can everything I want whenever I want. But this, _us_," she emphasized. "is important to me, too. We won't have an eternity together. And we just started. I don't want it to be one of those high school romances that don't last longer. I already had that with Matt, didn't work out. But I want us to work out. I really like you, Tyler and I can imagine being with you longer than till after high school."_

_He stared at her, dumbstruck. "Wow, that was good."_

_A sheepish smile. "Thanks."_

"_Um, I think so, too, absolutely," he affirmed. "But I don't want you to give up anything for me," he continued. "I'll ask Mr. Finley about the sports team in Richmond, okay?"_

"_And I'll look into Notre Dame. Maybe I'll find something interesting."_

"_And the grades? No offence but you used to care as less about school as me. I might get a scholarship with football or basketball but you…"_

_She wiggled her brows suggestively. "I'm a vampire, remember? I can get anything I want."_

* * *

_On Thursday all the talents scouts came to Mystic Falls High School. Both Tyler and Matt were excited to show their talent. Tyler didn't really need the scholarship. He had enough money to fund college unlike Matt but he was eager to show off. In the end both of them did show off but not their talent._

"_What's this? Trying to stay athletic enough to screw my girlfriend?" Matt hissed in between the football game._

"_That's not it, man," Tyler said calmly." Stop being a jerk."_

"_First you steal my girl and now you're trying to steal my future, too!" Matt continued and roughly shot the ball._

"_I'm not –" Tyler began but Matt cut him off._

"_But you're making a good couple," he hissed. "The slut and the dick."_

_At that point Tyler's tiny temper flared and he punched Matt hard in the face. Before anyone could comprehend what was going on they were both tossing and turning on the field, trying to beat the shit out of each other. Tyler had quickly pinned Matt onto the ground and shook him hard. "Take that back! he demanded. "She's not your girlfriend anymore. Get used to it! It's your own fault!"_

_Those were their last words to each other before several hands separated him from Matt._

_A crowd had gathered around them. Caroline was standing in the middle of it and stared at both of them in shock. Tyler shot her an apologetic glance before he and Matt were brought to the principal's office to comment on the incident and receive their punishment. _

_The punishment was hard. Both of them were thrown of the team for the rest of the season as they had clearly shown that they weren't very good team players._

_When the principal released them an hour later Caroline was already waiting for Tyler in front of the office, armed with an ice pack for Tyler's jaw that had gotten a good blow by Matt's fist Matt passed them without a glance. Tyler gratefully took the ice pack._

"_What happened?" Caroline demanded still shocked._

"_Nothing," he played it down. "I don't want to talk about it."_

_Later he had talked to the scouts to apologize for the incident and told them that in case they had actually planned to give one of them a scholarship they should give it to Matt as he deserved it and was a good sports man. Matt did in fact get a scholarship from Duke that day. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

_Coming up with a family history for Bonnie was the hardest part of this chapter. We don't know anything about him, right? Other than that he doesn't believe in witchcraft. And we never heard anything about Bonnie's mother but I assume that she had been a witch, too since Sheila is one. Or the powers skipped a generation, idk. In this story however Bonnie's dead is an engineer working outside Mystic Falls and Mrs. Bennett is dead. _

_I hope you had at least a small laugh when Elena, in all her euphoria, proposed to Ric to marry Jenna xD I'm still grieving for Jenna. Thinking about it... I would've loved it if they had actually gotten married T_T_

_Yeah, well, the subjects... Caroline was already set with Broadcast Journalism. Letting Matt and Tyler pursue a sports career seemed logical but Bonnie... I think she would be a very good social worker, that's why I made her apply for Social Studies. Tell me what you think about it!_

_What else is to say about this chapter? _

_Matt is a bad loser. I'm really looking forward to see his reaction in the show once Caroline and Tyler get more than friendly._

_Poor Tyler :(  
_

_And don't you agree that Ric would be the coolest dad on earth? However, I think he, himself, would freak out over the fact XD_

_So really hoped you liked reading this chapter. The second part of it will be up on Sunday, I think._

_So long!_


	72. Your Future Awaits Pt 2

_Change of plans. I got this typed sooner than I expected. So here you go. Part II. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 72: Your Future Awaits Part 2**

**FLASHBACK **

"_Hi, how was the appointment with the counselor?" Damon asked when she got into the car after the appointment._

"_Unnerving," she answered exhausted. "And what did you do all day?"_

"_Prepare our date," he responded. "I even managed to usher Jennalaric out of the house. They're staying over at Ric's tonight."_

"Jennalaric_?" she repeated grinning._

"_Yeah, I listened to some kids at the video rental talking about their favorite ships of some show," he told her. "And they always composed the couple's name."_

"_Wow, you know all the terms," she acknowledged impressed. _

"_I'm a fast learner," he replied grinning and pulled out of the lot._

"_Are we really going to pretend that this morning didn't happen?" she asked suspicious of his light-hearted manner._

"_I was," he stated and when she still looked suspicious he continued. "Look, this morning meant nothing. You were a bad loser – oh yes _you were_," he emphasized when she started to protest. "But you're right. I was a sneaky cheater. We fought childishly about it. Then I got angry 'cause of Stefan. And then realized that's childish, too. No big deal."_

Good recap_, Elena thought but something caught her special attention._

"_You got angry because of Stefan?" she quoted him and a wide smile spread on her face. "You got jealous?"_

"_No!" he contradicted too quickly. Elena's knowing smile didn't disappear. _

"_Fine, maybe, yes, a little. A tiny little bit."_

_Elena was still smiling. He couldn't possibly know how happy that information made her._

* * *

"_Okay, what do we got?" Damon said and started enumerating. "Movie, wine, tissues…"_

"_Tissues?" Elena was confused at first but then realization dawned on her and she chuckled. "You rented a chick movie?"_

"_It's not really a chick movie," he started to contradict but then corrected himself in the process. "Well, yes, maybe but I like it so don't even dare to tease me about it. You'll like it, too, I think. " He grabbed the DVD from the shelf and presented it to her. "Tadaa."_

"A Walk to Remember_?" Elena was equally surprised and amazed. _

_Damon's enthusiasm dissolved into thin air. "You saw it."_

"_Who didn't?"_

"_Damn. The night's ruined."_

"_But not that often!" Elena quickly added. "And it was a long time ago. I really like it and I'd love to watch it with you," she finished, giving him her doe-eye look. _

_That cheered him up a little._

"_Okay," he said, shoving the DVD into the player. "It was really difficult choosing a movie, you know? We're both not into the Sci-Fi genre and scary movie would've killed the mood. Comedy didn't seem appropriate, either," he rambled. "I already told you I'm sick of overly-sappy love stories. Besides, it's kinda stupid to watch those while you're in a relationship. That left only action and adventure," he finished, picked up the remote and walked over to her to sit down next to her on the couch. "And I wasn't sure you'd like that. Though you really blew my mind when you told me you love Breaking Benjamin."_

"_I'm full of surprises," she declared, snuggling up to him._

"_Yeah."_

"_But so are you," she added._

"_I try my best to keep you entertained," he replied winking._

"_Thank you for tonight," she said and kissed him. _

"_Shouldn't you be actually be thanking me at the end of the night?" _

"_Yeah but I already know I'll enjoy the date." _

"_You and you never-ceasing optimism."_

"_You know why I like the movie?"_

"_No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me." _

_She did. "It's about redemption."_

_Damon's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what she was thinking._

"_You're treading dangerous grounds there, Elena Gilbert," he warned._

_But she didn't let it go. _

"_Thinking about it, Landon Carter reminds me a lot of you," she mused aloud. "Jerk, violent, lost and lonely…"_

"_Whoa, okay," he stopped her. "I think you got something wrong there." _

_She shook her head. "I didn't. We both know that. I'm not really sure what made you go there but you hit the road of redemption, Damon." _

The answer is simple_, he thought. _You.

"_You've come a long way, Damon," she continued softly. "And now you're… you're this amazing boyfriend."_

_He picked that right up. "Did I hear amazing?"_

"_I love you," she said softly and unexpectedly._

_Damon flinched. There they were again, those damn three words in that order. He quickly covered his reaction with a kiss and then he turned the table around._

"_Thinking about it, you remind me a lot of Jamie Sullivan," he said._

"_How's that?" she asked, trying to contain her disappointment over that he still hadn't said it back._

"_When I met you, you were just like her. _Lost_…" He let that linger for a moment because he knew this word stung her as much as it stung him. "_Insecure_," he emphasized, enjoying how her expression darkened. "I still remember your first words to me like it was yesterday." He cleared his throat and mimicked her. "I'm sorry for barging in. The door was… open."_

"_You failed," she let him know. "That didn't sound like me at all."_

"_Anyway," Damon ignored her comment and went on. "You changed a lot in that past year. Remarkably, you always seemed to loosen up around me," he pointed out. _

"_You got me drunk the first time," she reminded him accusingly. _

"_True, but all the other fun times you were sober and pretty much enjoying yourself with me."_

"_Ewwww. That sounds so ambiguous._

"_That was my intention," he assured her winking._

"_Okay," she gave in. "We've both come a long way. Our own Walk to Remember."_

_She seemed to be thrilled by that idea and Damon would lie if he said he didn't like it._

"_So about that movie… are we still going to watch it or are we going to make out on your couch?" he added smirking._

"_Ugh, press play, perv," she grumbled and lay back against his chest. _

* * *

_"So…" Elena began one night._

"_So…" he mimicked her smirking._

"_What did you do after 1864? Did you even go to college at some point? Or did you just travel around?" _

_He looked amused at her._

"_What?"_

"_I thought you'd never ask," he answered, grinning. "I was _everywhere_. Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Notre Dame, Duke, Princeton, Berkeley…"_

"_Okay, I get it. You checked them all out," she cut him off. _

_He shrugged. "I was bored. So I checked them all out. And if I didn't like one I compelled myself into the next. In fact, I did that so often that my nickname never changed wherever I went."_

"_Nickname?" she repeated confused._

"_Yeah, you know, there are always the jocks, the cheerleader bitches, the nerds, the cool kids etc."_

"_And what were you?"_

_He wiggled his brows. "The hot new guy."_

_She rolled her eyes at that. "Why did I even ask?"_

_He chuckled but then he frowned, lost in thoughts. "It was quite convenient that they were all hot for me – in terms of feeding, you know?" he said. "But none of those sorority chicks qualified for a serious relationship."_

"_Except Bree," she reminded him._

"_Yeah, Bree and I lasted two years before – "_

"_Before you became a walk away-Joe," she finished the sentence for him. _

"_Yeah. I wasn't the settling type back then." _

* * *

_**FLASHBACK WITHIN THE FLASHBACK**_

"_Why do you always kidnap me?" Caroline whined when she got into the back of the car and Damon got into the driver's seat._

"_Hey, Caroline," Anna greeted her, turning around from the passenger seat._

"_You!" Now Caroline frowned. "Okay, what's going on?"_

"_We actually haven't decided yet," Damon told her, starting the engine._

"_Excuse me? Have you lost your mind or something?"_

"_We probably would have if Damon hadn't had this great idea," Anna said._

"_Okay, you praising Damon? I must've entered an alternate universe."_

_After he hit the road Damon elaborated on the what was going on._

"_You're a vampire. A young one even. So you probably felt it, too."_

"_Felt _what_?" Caroline asked completely dumbfounded._

"_The strangling feeling of boredom. The pull to more," Damon answered. "We're vampires. We don't settle. We keep moving. We actually _live_ our undead lives. We are totally for all kinds of exciting." _

"_Ah, now I get it," the blonde said. "Yes, I kinda felt that, too."_

"_So we were thinking of doing something exciting today," Anna declared. _

"_Like what?"_

"_Oh, I don't know. Car racing… bungee-jumping… parachute –jumping without the actual parachute…"_

"_Parachute-jumping?" Caroline repeated appalled. "We could fall chest straight into wood. No way."_

_Anna chuckled amused. "You're not the best at Math, are you?"_

"_No risk no fun," Damon added grinning._

"_You guys are crazy!" the blonde stated._

"No, we're just bored to death_," the two older vampires replied with a sigh in unison._

"_No pun intended," Damon quickly added. _

_**END OF FLASHBACK WITHIN FLASHBACK**_

* * *

"_You know it's actually too bad that I already planned ou__r road trip. A college check out tour would be fun, too."_

_That caught her attention. "You already planned it."_

"_Mmhmm."_

"_Where are we going? And when?" she asked excited._

_He grinned at her enthusiasm. "I'm not gonna tell you. It's a surprise."_

"_Oh, come on. I hate surprises," she pouted. "You have to tell me. I have to be prepared."_

"_You don't have to prepared," he replied unperturbed. "When the time comes you'll understand."_

* * *

"_Hey, Damon," Elena said while she was putting dishes into the dishwasher. Damon had been __a real gentleman and cooked her for._

"_Hmm?"_

"_No matter where I go after high school… you're coming with me, right?"_

_Her hand carrying a dirty plate stopped mid-air and she looked straight into Damon's eyes. She hated how vulnerable she sounded at that moment but that question had been bugging her for a long time. In only one month time she had completely and unconditionally fallen in love with Damon and losing him was her biggest fear. _

_He took the plate from her and put it into the dishwasher. Elena just wished for him to say something. The silence and the suspense were killing her. Then his trademark smirk crept upon his face. _

"_Maybe that's not a good idea. Those girls at Duke, they've got spunk, you know."_

_Elena's eyes widened and Damon immediately regretted his joke. "Hey, I was joking," he said softly and cupped her face to force her to look at him. "You won't get rid of me that easily. It's up to you if that's a good or a bad thing." Involuntarily Elena had to chuckle. She had made up her mind about that quite a while ago. "And as to those Duke chicks, they could never stand up to you. Do you know what the first thing I said to Stefan about you was?" She shook her head. "'Great gal. She's got spunk'," Damon quoted himself. _

"_Really?"_

"_Really. First impressions always last, right?"_

_She nodded, smiling. "Yeah."_

"_That makes me wonder though. What was your first impression about me?" he asked curious._

"_You already know that," she replied and when he gave her a confused look she continued. "'It was nice meeting you, Damon.' It was actually more than nice."_

_Back was his smirk. "I know," he drawled in a low voice. "I haven't forgotten our sex dream adventures."_

"_Perv!" she shot back and smacked him on the chest. "You were the only one who took benefit of those dreams!"_

"_Liar," he whispered. His face was very close to hers now. Their lips were nearly touching. She could practically smell him. "You enjoyed them at least a little. Admit it, I pleasured you." Elena started laughing, "Come on, admit it!"_

"_That's still to be proven, right? We have a bet," she reminded him. _

"_Oh, why can't Christmas be everyday?" Damon complained, pulling back and grabbed the next plate. _

"_What fun would be?" she teased and slowly walked out of the kitchen, careful to shaker her hips seductively._

"_That girl," Damon growled. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"Okay, Mr. Finley asked them one week later. "Have you come to make a decision about your life after high school?"

Bonnie: Social Studies it is. I applied to all colleges that offer it.

"Didn't have to. Those talent scouts from Duke gave me a full scholarship," Matt told him excitedly.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_Elena took a deep breath. This was it. She kissed the envelope._

_Damon grimaced. "Eww, gross."_

"_It's a good luck charm," she told him._

"_Maybe you should've asked Bonnie for that. Your tongue surely would've preferred that."_

"_Okay, this is it," Elena said, gripping the envelope for dear life. "One shot. All or nothing."_

"_No risk no fun," Damon commented. "However…"_

"_However what?" Elena asked. She was already on edge as it was._

"_However if you continue to stand there holding it, it will never end up in the registration office," finished the sentence. "Toss it in already."_

"_I already got lucky once. If you hadn't written that essay – "_

"_You still would have gotten in because you would have written an equally satisfying essay."_

_She still didn't make any move to get rid of the envelope. Damon sighed and grabbed it to toss it into the mail box but Elena' hand covered his. She gazed intently up at him as she always did whenever she had a great idea in her mind._

"_Together?" she proposed._

_Amused, he nodded._

_And together they gripped the envelope, holding it just above the slit._

"_Here goes nothing," Elena muttered._

"_Everything," Damon said at the same time and together they tossed the college application into the box. _

_Elena sighed "That's it. Now the torturous waiting begins."_

"_But not today," Damon corrected. "You will hear from them in April. That's five months from now. You are allowed to start bugging the mail man at the beginning of April at the earliest."_

"_And what am I gonna do until then?" she inquired._

"_You hungry?"_

"_No. But I could use five minutes Delena-style."_

"_You actually remember that?"_

"_I'm a fast learner," she replied, grinning. "And I like the sound of it. Delena… has a nice sing to it, don't you think?"_

"_Sounds great," he agreed and slid an arm around her waist. "Come on, I'll get us something to drink. "_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Elena: I only tried my luck at Richmond. I was feeling lucky.

Tyler. I doubt that anyone will take me, now that I'm not allowed to play and my grades are not gonna help me, either.

* * *

**FLASHBACK **

_In a flash of anger Tyler punched the wall. His face contorted at the sudden pain in his knuckles but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside. He should've kept cool. He shouldn't have let Matt get under his skin…_

"_Trust me, that's not gonna help at all," Caroline said. "And it's not gonna take the pain away, either. Hey," she said softly and put her hand on his shoulder in a soothing way. "I can always compel you in or your mom–"_

"_But that's not how I want to get in!" he flared, shrugging her hand off. "I don't want you to compel me in or my mom to buy my way in. I wanted to get in by myself. I wanted to impress them by my game."_

_And with that he left. He was suspended for the rest of the week. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Caroline: I applied at Richmond and Notre Dame. I know my grades don't really qualify for Notre Dame but… my boyfriend wants to go there and… I'm not ready to say goodbye to him yet.

* * *

_One week later…_

Tyler was sitting on the bleachers, watching his former teammates warming up. He missed playing. He had been their captain and now they were training and going to play without him. And Matt was their new captain. Could it get any worse?

Tyler didn't understand how their relationship could be ruined during only a few months. They used to be friends before… before he, Tyler, had fallen for the pretty cheer captain who was just leading practice on the sidelines of the pitch. From time to time she sneaked a glance up at him.

They hadn't talked much since the incident, basically because Tyler had wanted to be alone. He needed this. He had to think about how to get his life back on track again and create a bearable future for himself.

He didn't notice the two suit-wearing men until they took a seat on either side of him.

"Are you Tyler Lockwood, boy?" one of them inquired.

"Yes, sir," Tyler answered nervously. The men were freaking him out. "Um, can I help you?"

"No, but we can help you," the other man said and handed him a folder.

"What's this?" Tyler asked confused.

"Why don't you open it and find out?"

They didn't have to tell him that twice. So he opened the folder and found an official-looking document concerning…

"A full scholarship?" he read aloud. "For me?" he added incredulously.

"Before you started this nasty fight you showed us that you are athletic and a good player. Plus, you have a strong personality. These are the thing we're looking for at Notre Dame," tie man #1 explained.

And his colleague added light-hearted "You're going to accept it, aren't you?"

"Y- yes, of course! Thank you very much, sirs," Tyler quickly confirmed, stumbling over the words. He shook each man's hand.

"See you next fall," one of them said as they got up.

"Bye, kiddo," the other one said.

When they had left Tyler still couldn't believe his luck. He stared incredulously at the paper, confirming that Notre Dame had accepted him. Reluctantly, he tore his gaze away from the paper and looked down at Caroline who stared back.

"Hey!" she shouted. He knew that she could hear him just fine but he didn't want anyone to think that they were talking to themselves. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know," she answered while climbing her way up to him. "What are we doing?" she asked back when she reached him. "I think a big celebration it is."

"You eavesdropped," he realized.

She shrugged. "I was worried. Those guys looked serious. Congrats!" she then chirped and hugged him stormily.

He hugged her back tightly.

"I still can't believe I'm going to Notre Dame!" he said excited.

"Well, I knew it was a good thing I applied there," she mumbled to herself.

"Wait, what? You applied to Notre Dame, too?"

"You didn't think I'd let you check out those sorority chicks, did you?"

A wide smile spread across Tyler's face. "You applied to Notre Dame," he repeated incredulously.

"Yup," she confirmed again. "Unlike you, I don't have a problem with other means. If they don't accept me I'll compel myself in. Problem solved."

"We're going to Notre Dame. Fuck yes!" he exclaimed and pulled her into another tight embrace.

Caroline laughed at his enthusiasm but was smiling widely, too. "We're going to Notre Dame," she affirmed once more and met him halfway for a kiss.

* * *

_I'm a sucker for happy ends xD So everything is right in the world. Tyler got a scholarship, too and the Forwood relationship is saved. _

_This chapter was almost completely about the Delena relationship. It was about exploring some unspoken anxieties. And Damon still hasn't said those damn three words. How much longer is he gonna wait?_

_The next chapter will be pure happy-mood fluff on Thanksgiving :)_

_Leave a note about how you liked this chapter, please!_

_So long ~_


	73. Thanksgiving

_Yet another chapter! I'm in full writing mode right now! As announced in the last chapter, this will be total fluff. I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!_

* * *

**Chapter 73: Thanksgiving**

A little nervous Elena entered the kitchen where Jenna was preparing the Thanksgiving dinner for later, complaining and cursing. Jeremy and Anna were watching her, suppressing grins. Everyone knew that Jenna's attempts to cook were hopeless. Her food tasted fatal but nobody had had the heart or enough courage to tell her to go to the Grill and get an already prepared Thanksgiving meal.

"Shit!" Jenna hissed when she burned her finger on the hot oven.

"Can I give you a hand?" Elena offered timidly.

"No, I got it." Jenna closed the oven and dropped her gloves on the counter. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just came down to help you out," lied Elena.

Jenna gave her her I-know-you're-up-to-something look.

"Okay, fine," the 18-year-old gave in. "Maybe I have a secret agenda," she announced grinning.

"You spend too much time with Damon," her legal guardian observed. Ouch, that one stung… "Spill."

"Well, I know Thanksgiving is a family holiday by tradition but I wondered if I could invite someone else."

"Of course. Bonnie and Caroline are always welcome."

"I was thinking about someone else," explained Elena and shot Jeremy and Anna a nervous glance.

"Like?"

"Damon…" Elena whispered.

"Huh? I didn't get that."

"I was thinking about Damon," Elena repeated louder now.

"Why yes. Jeremy invited Anna to stay," Jenna agreed. "And by the way Ric's on his way over, too."

"Huh?"

At that point the young couple in the corner couldn't contain themselves anymore and burst out laughing. Elena glared at them.

"Sorry, but you should've seen your face. It was priceless," Jeremy apologized half-heartedly while shaking with laughter.

"I was thinking about inviting John, too since he's family," Jenna went on.

"No!" three determined voices rejected firmly and the laughter died out at once.

"He hardly shows up so I don't really count him as family," Elena explained. "Do you, Jer?"

"No, we're good without him," answered Jeremy.

"I'd rather do without him, too," agreed Jenna and resumed cooking.

"Well, I'm going to call Damon over," Elena excused herself just when the doorbell rang.

"Wow, that was fast," Anna commented, sounding impressed and she and Jeremy grinned idiotically.

It was really funny how oblivious Jenna was to the fact that two more people, let alone vampires, were living under her roof.

Elena hurried into the foyer to answer the door. Damon entered with a big smirk on his face. "Hello there."

"Hello. Couldn't you have waited five more minutes," she hissed.

"Nope," he answered simply and kissed her.

Being the total gentleman he then went to greet Jenna and magically conjured a bunch of flowers which only God know he had picked up where. Elena smiled proudly at him. He had changed so much for her. Or maybe this was the real Damon. The one he had been hiding all these years.

"Dinner's set for six. We're eating in the garden," Jenna told them, giving the couples their cue to leave, what they did then.

"You have a garden?" Damon asked surprised.

"During all these nights creeping around you never had a minute to take a look at our garden?" she shot back, feigning indignation.

"Care to show it to me?"

"Later," she replied smirking and pulled him by the hand upstairs.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Alaric, Bonnie and Caroline joined the group. Caroline's mom had to work and so did Bonnie's father.

While Jenna finished the last preparations for the meal the teenagers and Damon went outside into the garden to set the table.

"Nice," Damon commented the view. However it was not clear if he was talking about the garden or Elena who had changed into a light-colored summer dress and happened to stand in his angle of view.

Then at six everyone gathered around the table. They stood up, holding hands. It was time to give grace.

Jenna was the first.

"Well, I'd like to give grace for being able to live in our own house again. No offence, Ric, you're apartment is great but I prefer my own four walls," she said. Elena felt bad at first but her aunt's tone was light so she relaxed again. "And to everyone who's joining us today. After all, someone has to eat all this food."

Everyone forced a grin and sent a silent prayer to heaven that her food would be edible at worst.

Next was Alaric. He cleared his throat loudly.

"I'm grateful to everyone who welcomed me in Mystic Falls. Moving into a foreign town with no familiar face whatsoever was awkward at first but now Mystic Falls is my second home."

He shared a smile with Jenna.

Damon smirked. He just had to say this now. "Yeah, the _beings_ of this town definitely gave you a warm welcome, didn't they, Ric?" he sneered. Elena smacked his arm.

Alaric's eyes narrowed slightly but he was still smiling. "Yeah… thanks for helping me out with that, _buddy_," he said.

"You're welcome," Damon gave back, grinning.

"Well," Bonnie began. "I'm grateful for my gift." Everyone except Jenna was staring at her, horrified. "When I first discovered it… it honestly scared the hell out of me. But now I learned to… control it, and I wouldn't want to miss it."

Bonnie looked at Elena who smiled at her. She knew Bonnie had had a hard time accepting that she was a witch and the responsibilities that came along.

"I couldn't agree more," Jenna chirped. "I'm quite happy I can cook."

Damon nearly spit into his drink as suddenly snort of laughter overcame him. Everyone else forced another grin.

"You alright?" Elena muttered, not amused and patted his back a little too hard.

"I'm already better," he croaked and took a big sip of his drink.

Now it was Caroline's turn.

"Um, first, I want to thank Jenna for having me."

"You're welcome, Caroline."

"And then," the blonde went on. "I want to thank, Elena, Bonnie, Damon and Anna for making life a little easier," she added, causing the people mentioned to raise their brows in surprise. They knew she was talking about helping her out ever since she became a vampire.

"You're welcome, Care," Bonnie spoke for all of them, thus symbolically accepting the fact that one of her best friends had become a vampire.

Caroline had tears of happiness in her eyes which quickly dissolved at Damon's next comment.

"Next week we'll go high-speed-rail-surfing," he muttered under his breath, unable for humans to hear.

"What?" Caroline gasped horrified and Anna burst out laughing.

Jeremy turned to her. "What's so funny? What did he say?"

But Damon brushed it off. "Nothing of importance," he said and enjoyed the glare Caroline sent in his direction while Anna gradually regained composure. She had to. It was her turn.

"I, um, I'm thankful for being here today," she stated, letting it linger. Everyone except Jenna knew that she meant it literally. If it hadn't been for Alaric to give her his magic ring she wouldn't be there. She flashed a smile to her savior who nodded apprehensively.

After Anna followed Jeremy, who thanked Jenna for having Anna and Anna for being there with him. What he really thanked her for was being in his life. Anna was touched. She smiled brightly at him, squeezed his hand and whispered.

"That was sweet."

He returned her smile.

Now Elena raised her voice. Everyone looked expectantly at her.

"Well," she began. "I have a lot to be grateful for. First, I have to agree with everyone else, thank you Jenna for this, um, wonderful meal." She lied bluntly without blushing and everyone secretly admired her for that. "Then I'd like to thank Jenna again. I'm speaking for Jeremy and me now. Thank you for staying with us after Mom and Dad died. We wouldn't have survived without you. You've done so much for us ever since. You're doing a great job as legal guardian. Mom would be proud of you." At that point Jenna let go of the hands to dry her tears of happiness with a tissue. Once she had calmed down Elena went on, turning to her brother. "I want thank you, Jeremy, for letting us restore our siblingship after difficult times and for letting me still you as a brother even if we're not directly related by blood."

Jeremy squeezed her hand reassuringly. "That will never change," he promised.

Elena took deep breath and looked past her brother at Anna.

"I'd like to thank you, Anna, too for two reasons. First, for making Jeremy as happy as he has never been before." Jeremy blushed furiously at that. "And for being my friend during difficult times."

Jeremy, Anna and Damon knew that she was referring to the time when she had been fighting with Damon. Next to her, Damon shifted uncomfortably. Elena assumed he would feel a pang of guilt about it so she squeezed his hand and smiled at him, thereby indicating that she had forgiven him completely.

"I have more thanks to give," Elena continued, turning to Bonnie and Caroline. "To Bonnie and Caroline for staying with me no matter how crazy my life gets. You're my best friends since kindergarten and I don't take you for granted."

"You're welcome, Elena," they replied in chorus.

"Thank you, Ric," Elena resumed with her speech. "For making Jenna happy, for being our history teacher–"

"I want to thank you for that, too!" Jeremy blurted out. "You totally saved my history grade."

A round of laugh erupted before Elena went on.

"Thank you also for helping me get to know my birth mother what I probably wouldn't have if not for you," she added quickly and firmly when he made an attempt to contradict.

"You're welcome, Elena."

"Speaking of which, I want to thank all those who can't be here today spending this wonderful day with us because they are dead, for being a part of our life, raising us and supporting us in so many ways."

By this dedication many people were memorized. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, Isobel Flemming and her parents, Anna's mother Pearl and Bonnie's Grams.

"That was nice, Elena," Jenna commented approvingly.

Elena now turned to Damon who was looking puzzled at her. She wanted to thank _him_ for something? She squeezed his hand again and said "Thank you, Damon. For… saving my life." She didn't elaborate on this point but went straight to the next. "And for making me a different person. For letting me be carefree around you and for letting us have so much fun. In one sentence: thank you, Damon, for making me happy."

Everyone was looking expectantly at Damon. He seemed to be frozen for a moment, completely overwhelmed by Elena's dedication. But then he cupped her face and kissed her softly in front of everyone.

"I guess it's my turn now," he said after pulling away. "Thank you, Jenna, for having me today and enjoy your delicious food." Grins were forced all around the table. "Thank you, Ric, for not killing me for… you know what." He winked at the teacher who smiled amused. "Same goes for Bonnie. If she hadn't accepted me I certainly wouldn't be here today."

"Don't flatter me," Bonnie said smugly. "I can still get rid of you. So you better not hurt Elena."

"I wouldn't _dream_ of it," Damon drawled. There was a dramatic pause as if he was lost in thoughts and then he concluded "Yep, that was it."

"Hey, what about me?" Elena protested beside him.

"She thanked you, too so it's only fair if you thank her back," Caroline pointed out.

"Sorry, but that's private," Damon replied.

"Oh, come on!"

"My way of thanking her is not really appropriate for this gathering," he explained winking. "We'll catch up on that later."

Alaric rolled his eyes. Jeremy grimaced. Caroline grinned. And Jenna's eyes widened in shock.

"Elena!"

Elena quickly waved it off. "He's kidding, Jenna!" she assured her firmly. Then she glared at her boyfriend. "That wasn't funny."

"I think it was fairly funny," he contradicted smirking. "Your faces were priceless."

Alaric cleared his throat now. "We should sit down and eat now before the food – uhum – gets cold," he said with a fake cough that fortunately went unnoticed by Jenna.

So they sat down and began helping themselves with turkey. When all plates were filled they gripped their forks and knives and stared at the food like it was poison, incredulous about that they were really going to eat it, even if it was just for Jenna's sake.

Jenna herself looked down the table and smiled amused.

"You can it eat it. It's safe," she told them after a while. "I had it catered from the Grill while you were out here, setting the table. I gave up on cooking by noon."

A wave of relief washed around the table and they burst out laughing before each of them attacked their food like they had been starving for days.

* * *

"So it wasn't that bad, was it?" Elena asked when they had retreated to her room several hours later. "Family dinner?"

"No," he answered. "I liked it."

"You did?" she asked surprised.

"Mmm. Your family is nothing to be ashamed of," he went on. "Believe me, I've met worse people. Though I must admit Jenna creeps me out. I wouldn't wan to piss her off. Ric must be constantly watching it."

Elena chuckled. "Yeah, Jenna's tough. Sometimes I consider telling her everything. She appears strong enough, you know? But I'm not sure. I don't want to terrify her."

"Ignorance is bliss," Damon commented, suppressing a yawn.

"Exactly. Hey, are you falling asleep?" She nudged him.

"Aren't you?" he replied, his eyes closed. This time he didn't hide his fatigue and yawned heartedly.

"You can't fall asleep now. You still have to tell me what you're grateful for as far as I'm concerned."

"Right. Thanks for letting me sleep in your bed. I'd be too lazy to move right now."

She nudged him again – and immediately regretted it when suddenly Damon seemed to be wide awake. He rolled over on the bed and pinned her there with an arm on each of her sides. He smirked down at her.

"On second thought," he drawled, enjoying the sound of her increased heartbeat and her hitched breathing. "The night's still young and I can think of many interesting activities to pass it with."

"It's not Christmas yet," she reminded him though it was becoming more and more difficult to resist him with his body hovering just inches above hers.

Hearing these words all strength seemed to leave Damon and he collapsed right onto her. She gasped at the sudden contact.

"I can't wait another month," he growled and moved his head to kiss her earlobe, making her shiver much to his pleasure.

"Anticipation – "she began.

"Only intensifies the longing," he retorted impatiently.

"Deal with it," she shot back firmly and pushed him off of her.

"You make it hard to be grateful to you for anything."

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He hadn't intended to say that. He didn't even mean it. He was just so… frustrated.

Elena's gaze became icy. She gave him a deathly glare. That glare alone proved that she was related to Jenna. It sent shivers down his spine. He swallowed hard waiting for his doom.

"If you can't deal with it then I don't know why you're still hanging around," she snapped.

"I'm sorry, Elena," he quickly apologized. "I really didn't mean that."

"Your actions say otherwise."

"Elena–"

"I'll get ready for bed," she cut him off and slid off the bed, heading for the bathroom.

"Fine! You want to know what I'm grateful for?" he blurted out.

That caught her attention and she turned around, looking expectantly at him. Damon sighed exasperatedly. God, he hated this. He was perfectly content with keeping his feelings to himself. Talking about them was a real pain in the ass.

"I'm grateful to you for many things," he began. "Letting me live here with you is just one of them. I don't take that for granted," he told her. "For… forgiving me for everything that I've done. We both know I've done many things to hurt you and I'm really sorry." He spoke quickly. He just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.

"Damon–" Elena said softly, sensing his discomfort. She took a step toward him but he cut her off.

"I'm not finished. I'm grateful," he continued. "that you chose me over my brother. Not because of stupid rivalry. I'm past that. For choosing me in general. Damn, you even want me to be a part of your future. I'm so grateful for that even if I don't really show it to you. But I am and I know I can never give you as much as–"

"Damon!" Elena interrupted his rambling harshly.

"Huh?"

She walked over to him, crawled back onto the bed and placed the gentlest of kisses on his lips. She stroke his cheek and gave him a loving smile.

"That's all I need to here," she said. "Thank you for telling me." She kissed him again. "And you're doing okay on that give back part." His features showed the hint of a smile. "But Damon?" She sounded serious now.

"Yes?"

"All that doesn't have any effect on our deal. You still have to wait for Christmas," she declared. Then she left for the bathroom.

Damon stared after her until the door closed.

_One month_, he thought grimly. _It would be silly to think I can't wait one more fricken month._

His gaze travelled around the room until it hung on Elena's photo collage next to her mirror. One photo showed them on one of their road trips.

Suddenly Elena's voice echoed in his ears.

_You get whatever you want and I mustn't refuse._

A wicked smile spread on his lips.

_Just you wait, Elena…_

* * *

_Uh-oh Damon and his wicked thoughts. That can not mean anything good. Let's just say he has found a loophole concerning their deal..._

_Oh and I'm currently working on that Christmas chapter, just so you know ;)  
_


	74. Merry Christmas Part 1

_So everyone, here's that chapter you've been waiting for for so long. Damon takes matter into his own hands. He's really impatient... xD Hope you'll enjoy it!_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 74 Merry Christmas Part 1**

Christmas came sooner than expected. While Elena sat in the living room with everyone else and unwrapped her presents, she couldn't help but grin at the thought that she had already received the greatest gift for Christmas a few days ago.

She raised her head to look into Damon's blue eyes and gave him a loving smile. He returned the gesture before kissing her softly.

Elena had believed that their relationship had been as perfect as it could be but had been proven differently. How could one night change everything?

_A few days earlier…_

Elena was hurrying along the halls. She was late for class because she had chatted a little too long with her brother, forgetting that he had a free period now while she had not. She had history now with Alaric.

But before she could reach the classroom something crept up from behind her and started dragging her into the opposite direction.

She blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what was happening. Then she recognized the person who was pulling her by the hand.

"Damon? What are you doing?"

"I'm picking you up. We're going on that road trip now."

"Now? But I have history–"

"Ric says Merry Christmas. He gave you absence permission. It's his Christmas present to you," he explained.

"Huh? But I have to go home first and pack."

"Already did that," he replied.

"What? What did I tell you about staying off my wardrobe?" she said indignantly.

He smirked. "We're on a tight schedule. There wouldn't have been time for you to pack yourself. So I packed for you. We'll leave now and return on Sunday. Told you I would be a surprise."

"For how long have you been planning this surprise then?" she asked as they stepped outside into the cold winter air.

It had started to snow a week ago and now Mystic Falls was covered in white, puffy snow. It would have been nice if the snow and ice didn't cause traffic chaos all across the east coast.

"A month give it or take. Ric has been very cooperative. He convinced Jenna to let us do this." He shrugged and opened the passenger door for her.

"Thanks. Did you pack my–"

"Diary? It's in your bag on the backseat though you won't have time to write anything in there," he answered and closed the door.

He sped around the car to get into the driver's seat. Then he started the engine and hit the road.

"So… where are we going?" Elena inquired, still slightly taken aback by his surprise.

"You'll see when we get there."

"Another surprise?"

"The weekend will be full of surprises," he announced smirking.

_If she only knew…_

* * *

"Damn it!" Damon shouted and kicked his precious car.

"That's not gonna help," Elena said dryly. "Just have some patience. They'll come."

"But I don't have patience I don't have the time to wait. I made reservations."

"Reservations for what?"

"Can't tell."

Elena sighed impatiently. "It's the snow. I'm sure the repair shops have their hands full. We'll probably have to wait another hour or two."

Damon cursed again and pulled out his phone just when the mechanics arrived.

"Could you tell them what's wrong? I need to make a call."

"Uh, sure," she said and walked over to the mechanics.

Meanwhile Damon was on the phone.

"Salvatore. I made reservations for eight. But we're probably running late. My car broke down… What do you mean you can't save it? I made this reservation weeks ago…! I don't care if your booked out…! Yeah. Whatever."

Damon sighed and hung up. It was always like this. Whenever it was supposed to be perfect something went wrong and blew up everything. Of course he knew that perfection was highly improbable but he still wanted it to be that way. For Elena. She deserved that it was perfect. Damn snow…

He walked over to her and the mechanics who were just assessing the car situation.

"So?" he asked them. "Can you fix it?"

"Not here," the first mechanic said. "The cold affected your battery. We have to take your car and swap the battery."

"What? You've got to be kidding me!"

Elena who sensed trouble due to Damon's reaction tied to reach a compromise. "We really need the car right now. You sure you can't fix it so we can at least reach–" She turned to Damon. "Where are we headed again?"

"To the airport," he answered through gritted teeth.

"The air – wait, what? Where are we going?"

"Sorry, Miss," the second mechanic interrupted their conversation. "But you ain't going nowhere with this car. It won't start without a new battery."

"Oh…"

"How long will it take?" demanded Damon.

"A week."

Damon was about to lose it. "A week?"

"Sorry, sir, we've our hands full right now."

"Great. Just great," Damon muttered.

"But we can give you a ride to Richmond airport," the second mechanic offered.

Elena accepted that without hesitation. "That would be great," she said gratefully.

* * *

On their way to Richmond airport in the backseat on the mechanics' car Damon made a few more calls which only made him more frustrated, resolving in that his cell phone battery died out, too.

"I can't believe it," Damon grumbled. "Everything's mess."

"You still haven't told me where we're going," Elena reminded him, careful not to irritate him further.

Damon sighed and slumped on a seat in the waiting area of the airport. "Well, I can tell you now 'cause everything's ruined anyway." She waited patiently for him to go on. We _were_ going to New York. I made reservations in a hotel but they refuse to wait for us. They've probably already given the room to someone else. Same goes for the table at the restaurant."

"New York?" she said excitedly.

"Did you actually listen to everything I just said?"

"Yes, I did. But Damon, we can still go to New York. You know it doesn't have to be an expensive and fancy hotel. We'll find one that's not booked out."

He gave her a look. "A few days to Christmas?"

"We'll find something," she replied confidently. "Come on, let's get the plane tickets."

* * *

Their streak of bad luck didn't rip. Just when Damon and Elena miraculously managed to get last minute plane tickets for a later flight, a announcement told them their flight got cancelled and the next delayed by an hour. Meanwhile, Damon had had enough and just wanted to go home if there hadn't been Elena who was thrilled at the perspective of going to New York and kept telling him that everything would be alright in the end.

At midnight they finally arrived in the Big Apple. Damon hurled a cab and told the driver to take them to the next hotel. Of course that hotel was booked out. Damon didn't have any patience to keep searching for a vacant room in any other hotel so he grabbed the receptionist by the collar ad looked him deep in the eyes.

"Damon!" Elena said reproachfully but he ignored her.

"There must be any room vacant in your hotel," he asked the receptionist.

"Only the president's suite," the receptionist replied. "But it's reserved for the president," he added matter-of-factly.

Damon rolled his eyes. He's had it. "Do you know where the president is right now? At home with his family. He has a whole for himself. So I highly doubt that he's gonna need the suite now." His eyes narrowed as he started to compel his opponent. "Here's what we're gonna do. You will give me fricken keys and you won't tell anyone that someone besides the president is currently residing in that suite. And at the end of our stay I'll leave a not insignificant tip. How does that sound?"

He let go of the receptionist who took the keys and gave them to Damon.

"Enjoy your stay," he said in a monotonous voice.

"You didn't have to compel him," Elena chided him Damon when they had taken residence in their room.

"_Elena_," he drawled. "I'm tired and my patience is wearing _very_ thin. For once, _please_ just bear with it," he shot back, collapsing on the bed.

"Fine. I'll let this one go," she gave in. "But I won't give you permission to do it always."

"Thanks," he yawned. "What a day… All my plans are ruined. There's not enough time to catch up later."

"You seem to forget something," she said, lying down next to him. "Today was the last day of school before winter break. We don't have to be home before Christmas. I'll deal with Jenna. So… we have nearly a week to do whatever we wanna do. That'll do, right?"

"Right," Damon remembered. "Maybe everything isn't lost after all."

"That's the spirit," she praised him and snuggled up to him.

"I'll make that trip unforgettable for you, I promise," he murmured into her hair.

He didn't receive an answer because a very tired Elena had already fallen asleep on him.

* * *

_Yeah, I'm mean right? But I couldn't help but tease you a little. But don't worry, I won't let you wait too long. The next chapter will be online tomorrow._

_In this chapter I wanted to put stress on how improbably perfection is. Nobody is perfect, the world we life in sure as hell isn't perfect and plans are never perfect. A very wise man once said that the way the world operated is not digital but analog and analog means nothing but sloppy. It is very true. However we could witness that the digital world isn't perfect as it being operated by imperfect humans. Nothing is perfect._

_By the way that quote is from a man called Tom Clancy. Like I said a very wise man. He's brilliant, bright and a very great author. So if you're into political thrillers I highly recommend his books to you._

_So long ~  
_


	75. Merry Christmas Part 2

_I'm so sorry! I got caught up in making a video and then it took forever to upload it. (For anyone who's curious about it. I posted a link to it in my profile. It's the link at the very bottom of my profile.) _

_Enjoy!_

_I dedicate this chapter to a few special people._

_**oceangirl122** - for reviewing every single chapter! _

_**Maiqu** - for reviewing most right after oceangirl122!_

_**Tinkerbell90** - for always leaving so long reviews!_

_**NightlyEvilTM** - just because I adore your videos!_

_Thank you so much! You guys rock!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 75 Merry Christmas Part 2**

The next day they went Christmas shopping for their friends and family – so Elena's friends and family. Damon picked up a book about cooking for hopeless cases and considered giving it to Jenna but Elena was sure Jenna would kill him for that.

She got Jenna a souvenir, her brother a videogame and Anna, Bonnie and Caroline jewelry. She could afford all of it because Damon had pressed his limitless credit card into her hands. When she rejected he told her smirking she could pay him back with other things than money. She chose to ignore the comment. But the financial possibilities let her dissolve into a real shopping spree. She probably bought way more than she needed. Damon raised a brow at the countless bags on her hands when he helped her with them but smiled amused.

"Caroline would love this," Elena said, her eyes twinkling.

When dusk came they returned to their suite and changed into night gowns. They checked out the hotel restaurant of the hotel but Damon found the food unbearable.

"Why is it that cooks only enjoy their own food?" she asked when they had left the restaurant again.

"Maybe because they knew they did everything right. But that steak tasted like a shoelace without any taste whatsoever."

Elena just shook her head. "You'll see what I mean when we go to the restaurant I wanted to take you to yesterday already," he said.

* * *

On Sunday they had walk through Central Park and ended up at an ice-skating spot nearby.

"Oh no," Damon said when realization dawned on him.

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun," Elena tried to encourage him.

"No."

"Please."

"I don't ice-skate, Elena."

"For me?" she asked, giving him her doe-eye look which she knew worked wonders with him.

"Don't ever play that _for-me-card_ again," he warned her and went to the cash point much to Elena's joy.

Ten minutes later they were on the ice where Damon couldn't help but show off his skills.

"I thought you don't ice-skate," she muttered frowning.

"I said _I don't_," he clarified. "Not that I can't. Besides, that's nothing. I know moves you've never seen before."

"Really," she folded her arms skeptically. "Show me."

He gladly took the challenge and started racing around on the ice, moving around like a snake and dancing like a god. Elena was left speechless. She was amazed by his skills – and at the way how sexy he looked. A blush crept on her cheeks when she realized that. Just in tie Damon returned to her to see her emotional and physical reaction.

"Someone's impressed," he said smugly.

Elena quickly regained composure. "Show-off," she muttered, feigning irritation.

"But you find it very sexy," he drawled, tracing a line on her cheeks with his index finger. "And I find that very sexy," he added in a low, seductive voice that sent shivers down her spine. "And cute," he said playfully now, pulling away to Elena's disappointment.

She started to regret that she had postponed their first night for so long. And it was still a few days to Christmas. How was she going to keep up her composure and willpower when he seduced her so skillfully?

Damon smirked, very satisfied with his work. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"I'm gonna claim my reward for winning our bet very soon," he let her know and enjoyed the next blush creep on her face.

* * *

On the third day they visited Times Square and everything else you could visit in the Big Apple and afterwards they went ice-skating again. This time Damon had suggested it because he knew it would make Elena quite horny. And him, too 'cause she wasn't the only one who got turned on watching the other glide across the ice.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed, cupped her rosy cheeks and kissed her hungrily.

"Not here," Elena managed to get out through his skillful tongue made it almost impossible for her to form coherent thoughts.

"Then let's get out of here," he growled in response.

Very pleased with himself he dragged her off the ice. But they didn't get to do _it_ yet. Damon had made reservations in a five-star restaurant.

Elena was mesmerized. The restaurant was definitely up to Damon's high standards. It looked expensive and noble just like the people who were dining there.

When they arrived a waiter took their coats and led their to their table. The table was in a distant corner of the dining room lit by two candles.

"Damon," Elena breathed, taken aback.

"You like it?" he asked.

"I love it," she declared and kissed him.

Damon should be right. The food in the restaurant was definitely better than the one two days ago, so was the wine.

"From Florence," Damon told her proudly when the waiter filled their glasses.

"We should go there," Elena proposed.

"Absolutely. I'll show you the beauty of Italia," he replied, smiling and she smiled back.

* * *

Three hours later they returned to their suite. Elena was the one with the keys. So she opened the door and was stunned. The bedroom was lit by a dozen candles and soft music was playing in the stereo.

Of course Elena knew the meaning of this. Damon had planned it to be like this. He had been hoping for it for so long now. It was so beautiful that Elena couldn't even be mad at him for throwing her off-guard. Silent tears fell from her eyes.

"I had the personnel prep everything while we were dining," Damon explained sheepishly and then he was shocked to find her crying.

"Oh no, don't cry. I know I'm pushing things. I'm sorry. We don't have to."

But Elena shook her head. "That's not it."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because…" she sniffed. "It's perfect."

Damon let out a sigh of relief. "Stefan never did this, you know. Though he seems to be that guy to do this but he didn't… not like this."

"So you like it?"

"I love it," she assured him ad threw her arms around him.

"It's not the first time for any of us but it will be our first time together so I wanted it to be special," he explained.

"It's amazing," she said reassuringly and met his lips hungrily.

* * *

They were laying in bed. Damon was hovering above her, trailing her face and her collarbone with kisses while his left hand grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it upward to reveal Elena's skinny legs. He had closed his eyes for a while so he didn't notice her mood swing before he opened them.

Then he realized that she was crying.

"What's going on?" he demanded dismayed and stopped his caressing instantaneously.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

He sighed, propping himself up on his knees. "You're not ready."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"No. I mean, yes. I mean. I don't know. I'm sorry," she rambled. She slowly rose. "Maybe you're right."

He shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me," he said incredulously. "What's your problem? You seemed to be willing all this time. Where are these second thoughts coming from?"

"I don't know something feels off somehow?"

"Off…?"

"Off, wrong." She groaned and then she whispered. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" he asked confused.

She hesitated biting her lips. "What if… what if this isn't right?"

"Come again?"

"What if this – us – isn't right," she elaborated and when he still stared at her, not catching on, she continued. "I mean, we used to be great friends. What if that's all we're ever supposed to be? Friends. Maybe we're more friends than anything."

"You really don't mean that."

"I don't know."

"Where's this coming from?"

"I don't know. I just don't wanna mess this up."

"Damon, you mean so much to me and you know that. But I don't even know how you feel about me 'cause you never tell me. I tell you I love you all the time and you never say it back. So, it's justified for me to feel insecure, right?" Damon sighed. "And I don't wanna be one of your former girls, Damon. I don't want this to be a temporary thing, only to be ditched by you a couple of months later. I want us to last. I'm in for the long run, Damon. But what about you?"

Damon sighed again. He raised his hands to her face to wipe the tears away and gave her a sad smile. There was no avoiding it or going back now. He would have to this now. Lay his heart on the line and share his dearest feelings."

"Alright," he began. "You want to know how I feel? I'll tell you." She immediately stopped crying and looked expectantly at him. "I already told you how beautiful you are and that it has got nothing to do with Katherine. You're beautiful on the outside and on the inside. Elena, you are the most compassionate and forgiving person I've ever met. I hurt you so much in the past but you still forgave me. And that's not all. You make me a better person, Elena. For a fact, I haven't killed anyone ever since the two of us became friends. And… it's not easy for me but… I want to be that man for you. A better man. You've changed me, Elena. It terrified me at first but then I realized this is who I really am, who I wanna be. I never wanted to be that monster I once was. I just turned into it because it was easier. But now I won't have to anymore because I have you. And I want this life with you. You're witty, you make me happy. We're so good together. That reminds me. I still haven't proven to you that we're soulmates but I will. I'm onto that you'll see." Her serious expression softened and chuckled. "I told I'll follow you to college. Hell, I'd follow you everywhere 'cause I'm in for the long run, too. I want to be with you forever. No pun intended. And the reason for everything is this. I was so happy when you first told me you love me. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. You were the only person who ever said that to me and mean it. And couldn't say it back then because those three words don't come easy to me. The last time I said them to someone I got rejected and I hurt. I couldn't go through that again. But I was a coward. I don't want to be like that anymore. I wasn't really living but I want to live now. With you… so…." His expression softened and broke into a smile, a real smile which was very rare for him. Happiness had started to swell inside Elena because of his words but that smile let her nearly burst into happiness. And so did his next words. He tucked a loose strand behind her face and looked into her eyes with so much love and affection in his gaze.

"I love you, Elena," he said as softly as it could be. "I've never loved anyone so much in my entire life. More than I ever loved Katherine. I–"

She didn't let him finish. Instead she leant forward and cupped his face with both of her hands and kissed him as passionately as she could. She was beyond happy now. When they broke apart for air Damon still had that intense gaze on.

"Let me show you how much I love you," he said huskily.

Smiling, she nodded and put her arms around his neck. Lying back down she pulled him with her. Their lips met and his skillful hands found her body again. She closed her eyes, and relished in the pleasure of feeling his kisses cover her whole body.

What followed was pure bliss.

* * *

While Elena woke up the next morning she didn't know what was responsible for it. The rays of the sun that found her face through the large glassy windows of their hotel bedroom or the mingling feeling Damon caused by kissing her bare shoulder.

Smiling she turned around to him, her eyes still closed.

"Morning," she mumbled in a small voice.

"Morning, sunshine," he whispered and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well?"

"Sleep ever?" she shot back.

They both chuckled at that. She opened her eyes.

"True, we didn't get much sleep," he agreed.

"Yeah."

"You look so cute when your sleepy and had the best sex of your life only a few hours ago."

She huffed. "Dream on. You lost that bet, too."

"Oh, I don't think that," he said, rolling on top of her. "From what I recollect how your body reacted to my touches… and your sweet cries…" His face moved in on her's until their lips were only a breath away. "…and the husky way you moaned my name," he added in a husky voice. She chuckled, blushing slightly. "Admit it, I rocked your world last night."

She tilted her head and then replied. "You rocked my world."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, happy like a child and she chuckled again.

"So…" she drawled while tracing a line on his shoulder down his arm.

"Remember our morning-after-sex routine without sex?"

A smirk appeared on his face. "Mmmhmm."

"Maybe…"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should add sex to it," she suggested, putting on a smirk matching his own.

His answer was non-verbal. She laughed when his mouth started attacking her.

* * *

_Today…_

"Merry Christmas, Elena," Damon whispered into her ear.

She smiled. "Merry Christmas, Damon."

* * *

_So that was it. The chapter you've been waiting for for so long. They finally did the deed! I have to apologize to everyone who was looking forward to smut. I'm sorry but I just can't write it. I'm like the most prudish person on this planet. I can read it alright but most certainly not **write** it._ _I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway. I kinda got inspired by re-watching that wonderful Delena scene from the Season 2 finale. I love that scene!_

_I want to thank all of you who are still reading this story after 75 chapters. 75! Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it myself! Thank you so much for your many reviews and your alerts and for putting this story on your favorites list! I love you guys!_

_I'll be back soon._


	76. Pregnancy Scare

_I think someone compelled me to forget something! Actually I was going to dedicate the last chapter to a bunch of people. I added the dedication in the AN now, sorry for the delay x.x_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 76: ****Pregnancy Scare**

Elena stood in the bathroom, in front of the large mirror that reflected her inner feelings: fear.

In her left hand she held a long and thin box. It contained a pregnancy test.

For the past two weeks she had been feeling strange. She was sick very often, felt dizziness overwhelm her and the most important thing was, she was late – exactly one week late – two weeks after she slept with Damon.

Of course she knew that she couldn't be pregnant. Vampires couldn't procreate. Damon had told her that.

But… who had told _him_? Had he read it in his precious Anne Rice books? How solid was that information?

It was probably just a hormonal abnormality. It happened. Yeah, that was it.

Slowly, Elena took the pregnancy test out of the package and read the instructions. Of course she knew how they worked. You had to pee on them and then they told you whether you were pregnant or not. But each test had different colors or letters or else to tell. The instructions said that a green light meant she was pregnant.

_Here, we go_, she thought. She had to pee because of all the tension anyway. Then she had to wait three minutes for the test to do its magic.

She stayed in the bathroom that long, watching herself in the mirror and getting more and more scared by the minute.

Suddenly she heard a quiet _peep_ – that meant the test was done. She glanced at it and screamed in horror.

The lamp was green.

As if having all your energy drained out of your body, Elena slumped on the bathroom floor.

"Elena?" she heard Damon's concerned voice through the door. "Everything alright?"

"Y – yes," she managed to get out although she was trembling and silent tears were streaming down her face. "It's just a spider," she lied. "I got it."

"Okay," she heard him say.

Trying not to sob to not alert him even more, Elena leant back against the bathroom tiles.

She couldn't be pregnant! She was only 18. She was still in high school. She couldn't become a second Isobel. She couldn't!

Slowly, she rose from the floor, grabbed the pregnancy test and the package and tossed it into the trash. Then she cleaned her face to wipe away all traces of her crying and put on some makeup to do the rest. She forced herself in the mirror once more, gathering all strength to face Damon outside.

Damon… how the hell was she supposed to tell him? Surely, he would freak out as much as she did. Taking one last breath she left the bathroom.

"You don't look so good," Damon observed. He didn't miss a thing.

"I felt sick again," she lied.

"Maybe you caught something."

"Yeah, maybe," she replied, lying down on the bed.

She looked into his blue eyes. She couldn't tell him. Not yet. She would take some more tests before.

* * *

She couldn't hide it any longer from him. She didn't have the strength and he was getting suspicious.

"Damon, we need to talk," she announced.

"Those five words in that order – that can't be good," he joked.

"You're right. It's not good."

"Huh?"

"I've been feeling strange for the past two weeks. I'm sick very often and… I'm late… do you know what that means, Damon?"

"Whatever it is, you're not pregnant" he dismissed the thought at once. "I'm actually surprised that you even consider this after I told you that vampires can't procreate."

"But they love to try right?" she reminded him. "Who told you that anyway? It fits with everything else. And I did a test. It was positive."

He brushed it off. "These things aren't accurate."

"There's high chance that it's true," she persisted.

"You're not pregnant, Elena," he said with finality. "It's physically impossible–"

"How would you know? Maybe… a vampire woman can't procreate but a human woman after she slept with a vampire!"

"Is that what it's about?" he asked, growing irritated. "Do you regret sleeping with me?"

"No! That's not it!" she retorted. "I don't know about you but _I_ don't take this lightly! I'm 18, Damon! I can't be a mother yet!" At that point she started to cry. Why wouldn't he believe her?

"For the last time, Elena, I can't get you pregnant! The only possibility–" His voice faded away. Then his eyes narrowed. "You went with Bonnie and Caroline to that new club last week," he recalled. "What exactly happened that weekend?"

"What?" she said indignantly. "Are you implying that I cheated on you?"

"It's the only way," he replied. "If you really are pregnant…"

"Damon!"

"I won't discuss this any further with you," he abruptly ended the conversation. "It's out of question. Don't get hysteric over a stupid test. I'll come back when you've calmed down."

And with that he left through the window and Elena dissolved into tears.

* * *

Stefan had his guard on when he felt another presence except his own in the boarding house. Alert, he approached that presence. It led him into the study. He was surprised to find Daon there, checking the book collection.

"Damon. What are you doing here?" he asked puzzled.

"I'm looking for my vampire background literature," he told him, not looking up. "You know, Anne Rice and such."

"What's the topic? Maybe I can help," the younger Salvatore offered.

"Don't think so," Damon muttered. "Vampire procreation?"

Stefan stared at him horrified. "You hooked Elena up?"

"No!" Damon shot back irritated and thought to himself _Why does everybody think that?_ "I just wanted to check before I take our relationship to the next level, you know," he lied. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you about it... Ah, found it."

He pulled out a quadrilogy of Anne Rice.

"You could have just checked the internet," proposed Stefan.

"Ah, thanks for reminding me. I left my notebook here," said Damon. "See you, little brother," he added and left the study, missing the deathly glare his brother sent after him.

* * *

Damon entered Elena's bedroom – and stopped dead in his tracks.

Elena was sitting on the bed, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.

She looked terrible as if she had been crying for hours. Her eyes were fixed on something in front of her. A pregnancy test, Damon recognized on second glance. He cleared his throat loudly to let her know that he was there. She didn't pay attention to him though. Her eyes remained fixed on the little device.

"You did the test again," he realized. She nodded. "It's positive again."

She nodded again and tears streamed down her face.

Damon quickly walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed into his chest and he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Elena, I'm sorry for earlier. For not believing you. Even now I can't really believe it. Actually, it shouldn't be possible… I just want you to know that you won't be dealing with this alone I'm here for you. I'll go with you to the doctor's office if you like."

"Thank you," she murmured.

* * *

One day later they were sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for the quick-test results which were far more accurate than any pregnancy test you could buy at the drug store.

"So…" the doctor said, entering the office. "You're definitely not pregnant," she told them.

Damon sighed in relief and Elena felt as if a huge weight had dropped from her heart. "But your hormonal levels showed a slight abnormality. I think that's what caused the fake pregnancy. It'll pass. And your period will come, too. But if not, come back here, okay?"

"Thank you, doctor," Damon spoke for the both of them as Elena seemed to have lost her voice.

Outside, she burst into tears. Damon wasn't quite sure whether it was because of relief or something else.

He held her close. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," she sniffed. "I guess… I guess part of me… liked… the idea. Pretty crazy, right?" she tried to overplay her emotional outburst and forced a grin.

"I think that's normal," he assured her. "But if you really like the idea of having a family… we can always adopt a child. It wouldn't be the same but… you don't have to give that up for me."

Her face lit up. "Really?"

He chuckled. "Really."

"I love you," she murmured and kissed him.

"I love you, too," he replied and kissed her back.

* * *

_Poor Elena, getting so scared for nothing and then her maternal feelings kick in - everything because a stupid hormonal abnormality. _

_But really, how solid is the information that vampires can't procreat. I think Kevin und Julie shoud introduce an expert or something to determine this, because watching TVD I learnt one thing: somehow anything is possible._

_I'm sure you noticed that Stefan isn't too pleased about the recent turn of events. He'll stir some trouble in the next chapters. He hasn't given Elena up yet._

_So, guys, after this chapter I'll go on a hiatus with this story. I won't to fully concentrate on my other fanfiction "Soulmates" which will be the only one I will continue. I apologize to everyone who hoped I would continue other stories, for example Isn't It Ironic, but I don't have the time to dedicate myself to them all, I'm sorry._

_At this point I once again want to thank all of your for your kind reviews and your alerts and for putting this story on your favorites list! It means more to me than I can put into words!_

_So long ~_


	77. AN

_Hi everyone!_

_Thanks again for the reviews to the last chapter! I loved to read them! They lift my heart every time!_

_I recently found out that this fanfiction and another one, I'm With You, were nominated for a category at a contest called The Awards 2011 here on this site and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest! I was so happy that one would consider rewarding my writing. So to everyone who did nominate the two fics and everyone else who is reading them, a huge thank you!_

_ As to this fic, it would have never gotten so long without your reader support given by reviews! You can't even begin to imagine how much it means to me that you like what I write. Because recently I found out that writing really is what defines me. It's not just a time filler. It challenges me, it helps me develop and it simply makes me whole. _

_And it would really make mehappy if that continued to be the case in the near future!_

_P.S. Here is a link of the forum where you can nominate your favorite fics. EveryEnd Has A Start already got nominated for Hurt & Comfort and Best 100k fic and I'm With you was nominated for Best Drama but if you feel like it you can nominate them for every other category, and if you do my heart will leap a little more_

.net/topic/93629/44848990/1/#44861099

_ (Just type www dot forum dot fanfiction before the dot net and then copy & paste into your browser)  
_

_Love you,_

_yours Asu  
_


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